


me wa kokoro no kagami; the eyes are the window to the soul

by BoyGirlBothNoneImTheUniverse



Series: kishikaisei [1]
Category: Naruto
Genre: Bodyswap, Dai-nana-han | Team 7 (Naruto) Feels, Dai-nana-han | Team 7 (Naruto)-centric, Dai-nana-han | Team 7 as Family (Naruto), Gen, Gender Identity, Gender Issues, Implied Relationships, Mostly Gen, Other: See Story Notes, Time Travel, Time Travel Fix-It, Uchiha Massacre
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-15
Updated: 2020-07-31
Packaged: 2021-03-03 20:15:31
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 50,033
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24661396
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BoyGirlBothNoneImTheUniverse/pseuds/BoyGirlBothNoneImTheUniverse
Summary: "We're going to send someone back," Naruto said with confidence, his voice holding strong at their incredulous looks. "Far enough back that we can change things.""Send someone back?" Kakashi asked, bewildered."Time travel?" Sasuke asked, just as shocked. Surely that hadn't been what Naruto meant?Naruto nodded enthusiastically, a blinding grin gracing his face, making it into a once more familiar sight. "Time travel!"
Relationships: Haruno Sakura & Hatake Kakashi & Uchiha Sasuke & Uzumaki Naruto, Haruno Sakura & Uchiha Sasuke, Hatake Kakashi & Uchiha Sasuke, Uchiha Itachi & Uchiha Sasuke, Uchiha Izumi & Uchiha Sasuke, Uchiha Sasuke & Uzumaki Naruto
Series: kishikaisei [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1783096
Comments: 47
Kudos: 462
Collections: why im sleep deprived 💖✨





	1. Prologue: I. Sasuke—Interlude: Undisclosed III

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [it's all in the eyes](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17850035) by [BoyGirlBothNoneImTheUniverse](https://archiveofourown.org/users/BoyGirlBothNoneImTheUniverse/pseuds/BoyGirlBothNoneImTheUniverse). 



> EDIT 7/31/20: Split this into sections for easier reading. no new material.
> 
> ok so we need to start this off by me telling you that there are warnings for this fic and you can find them in the end notes
> 
> thanks to MielleBikker, my wonderful beta, who helped shape this fic into a finished product. they were a lifesaver. thanks to SaydriaWolfe who helped me figure out what the hell i was going to do with naruto. and thanks to tpena19, the artist who made the wonderful story art!

****

**me wa kokoro no kagami; the eyes are the window to the soul**

* * *

**_The Future_**

* * *

**I. Sasuke**

Sakura's eyes were green. They were a rather distinct color and Sasuke could name several times off the top of his head that he could remember them changing shades. When they were first assigned together on a team as a newly made genin, they were a pale mint that sparkled with something like excitement. When they faced off against Zabuza for the first time, they were shaded, the hidden fears creeping up and coloring the irises with their darker leanings. There was a dullness to them the night Sasuke left, the rain pouring down over them. He remembers how broken Sakura looked at that moment, right before he knocked her out and left her on a bench. She got some warmth back by the next time he saw her, her eyes determined and steely as she stared up at him. He could see the surprise, the shock, but her anticipation was swimming in her eyes, there for all to see so long as they looked. They shift, from a soft cool tone to one of a more saturated shade, always depending on the mood or the situation. They were jade stones staring at him with affection, love, betrayal, hatred, caution, and then trust.

Naruto's eyes were an almost absurdly azure blue. They were all the typical things one would use to describe blue eyes: like the sky on a cloudless day, the reflection of a clear sea reflecting back, pools of bright blue that one could swim in. They were all of these things, though not consistently. They are shaded towards mood and circumstance, much like Sakura's, but Naruto’s had the distinct difference of changing as he developed. As a child and a genin, his eyes had been described as cerulean and full of passion. After he had learned the truth about the Kyuubi, about _Kurama_ , however, things had changed. Sasuke could remember seeing Naruto with blood-red eyes, their slitted pupils narrow and intensely focused on their target. He could remember the fear, the confusion, that those eyes had caused; the panic that had broken out when they had made their appearance. There were also the golden eyes of sage mode, their pupils once more distorted, though this time they resembled the frog summons, rather than the wrathful Kyuubi no Kitsune. Brimming with nature chakra, they were admittedly a sight to see. The real wringer, however, laid with the eyes that are an incandescent amber, off-set by the double pupils that were the combined effort of the nature chakra and the Kyuubi chakra meeting and joining in Naruto's body. Blue, red, gold, amber, always staring at him with determination and friendly comradery.

Kakashi's eyes, in direct contrast to the lighter eyes of his first two students, a dark coal grey, bordering closely on a soft black color. Objectively, Sasuke knew that they had once been the color of a night sky, his eyes sparkling like stars as his genius was at work. Sasuke hadn’t been there, so he couldn't possibly say, but he imagined that they had sharpened after the death of his father, grew pointed corners like obsidian as he was forced to deal with life on his own. Maybe they had grown brighter or more full of life while he was with his own genin team, or maybe they hadn’t. Sasuke wouldn't be able to tell. What he can say is that the contrast between Kakashi's raven black eye and Obito's ruby Sharingan is a sight to behold. Sasuke couldn't imagine Kakashi without it, which makes seeing him after the war an odd sight. He would get used to it eventually, the double black eyes that reminded Sasuke distinctly of the soft supple scales of one of his snake summons. Eventually. For the most part, the overlaying image of the rubescent eye remains; the eye that was distant then caring, a pattern that had repeated until it ended with a welcoming look in his direction, accompanied by a firm squeeze on his shoulder.

As for his own eyes? Sasuke had seen many things. He had been through hell and back, scraping along the dirt with brittle nails as he screamed hysterically at the sky, his eyes blurry from pain. He had spent nights laying awake as he stared up at his white ceiling, thoughts spiralling downward into an empty abyss, his empty eyes, dark and foreboding, as he teared up. Red rimmed eyes often appeared as he forced down uncontrollable grief, shoving sadness away with anger. He had glared menacingly with black eyes, bottomless pits of malice hidden in their depths. He had shared love and then hatred, a cesspool of benevolence just under the surface. His eyes were black and then red and then red and purple. His eyes were, at their very core, empty and full of regret.

The world, at large, survived Kaguya, Zetsu, and Madara. People had died, and people would grieve, but the world would continue on past the Fourth Shinobi War. They would survive for generations to come, true, but they wouldn’t live. They would keep moving, devastation in their wake, but they wouldn’t ever be the same. People would be scared, cautious, afraid. They always were after war. Except, this was different from any other shinobi war. This had been against the gods and while they had come out the winner, the numbers lost, gone for good, made the win feel like a loss.

Konoha was no longer even a thought on the map. Other villages were gone as well, flattened along with a large portion of their civilian populations. It would take years, _decades_ , to deal with the aftermath of this war. Before they did that, before they truly started to rebuild only to learn it wouldn’t ever be the same, they cried tears of joy and sorrow as they hugged both warm and cold bodies.

Sasuke watched the bustle of the camp around him, a warm cup of broth held lightly in his hands. Naruto was a welcome presence on his left and he was certain that as soon as Sakura got off of her shift, she would take her place on Sasuke's right. He was not happy, not content, but he was comfortable in the knowledge that he hadn't completely lost his place with the family he had found all those years ago. There was the vaguest notion in the back of his mind to fight Naruto, to truly find out who was the stronger shinobi, but he couldn’t bring himself to voice it. They _could_ do what they've done for years. They could fight and snarl and beg, but how could it ever be like it used to? They had fought together for once, in perfect sync, and Sasuke couldn’t imagine anything that felt as good as that. Watching Sakura hold her own, protecting her boys when they needed to breathe, even for just a second,had left a similar fire swelling in Sasuke's chest. A fight between any of them now would be bitter and unfulfilling.

"I don't like it," Naruto broke in, his voice a muffled grumble as he sipped slowly at his own cup of broth. "So many people lost...so many lives just snuffed out."

Sasuke glanced over, taking in the bags under Naruto's eyes, the way his posture was slumped over, most of his body weight against Sasuke's side, and said nothing.

"It's not right," Naruto finally said, anguish leaking from his voice. His eyes were dull as they stared at the ground, lost.

"Then do something about it," Sasuke replied, meeting Naruto's gaze. "You don't like it? Change it."

Sasuke didn’t know what exactly he meant, what he was trying to imply or get across to Naruto, but a spark entered the blonde's eyes and suddenly he was gripping his cup tightly as Naruto abruptly stood, eyes narrowing as he muttered to himself. There was an urgency to his movements that left Sasuke curious, but he let the blonde leave without confrontation. Naruto was smart when he wanted to be, and Sasuke's words had given him something to think about, to stew over. It was better than letting him drown himself in the sorrows of yesterday.

"Is Naruto alright?" Sakura asked softly as she approached, taking a seat a few inches from him.

Sasuke offered his still warm broth, giving a small twitch of the lips in Sakura's direction when she smiled brightly at him. "Are any of us alright?"

Sakura hummed, admitting his point, while she finished off the rest of the warm liquid. "Where's he going?" she asked once she was finished, delicately setting the cup on the ground between them.

"No idea," Sasuke admitted, shrugging his shoulders. "I told him if he was unhappy with the outcome, he should change it. Then he got this look in his eye and left."

Sakura pursed her lips and hummed again, considering, before she shook her head, obviously deciding to let Naruto be just this once. She glanced at him, biting her lip to worry it between her teeth. Sasuke allowed her to look, never breaking his gaze from her examination.

Sakura let out a quiet huff, her soft smile sad and resigned as she inched closer to rest her head on his shoulder, her gaze locked onto the fire that was crackling in front of them. "It's never going to happen."

Sasuke gave his own sad smile, even if she didn't glance up to see it. He took her hand in his, their calloused palms rubbing together as he squeezed it gently. "No, it's never going to happen."

Sakura let out a little giggle, a borderline sob, before she buried her head in Sasuke's neck and he let her. At this point, they had already known the answer to her question. They would never have been more than friends, not after what Sasuke has put Sakura through. Sasuke knew that Sakura would have welcomed him with open arms, that she would have smiled and borne any hurt he thrust upon her, but he couldn’t do that to her. He's spent so much time hurting the people he cared about. So much time dismissing bonds, breaking them, until all he had been left with was himself. He wouldn’t ever love her like a wife, but he loved her like a friend and he wouldn’t jeopardize that, not anymore. The very idea that he would throw away such a bond; it was preposterous.

Sakura's tears abated soon enough, the pinkette obviously tired of crying over something she'd known since she was a child. She pulled herself away, taking her weight from Sasuke's shoulder to simply sit beside him, their arms brushing as she wiped the clinging tears from her eyelashes. Silence remained between them for several long moments, neither of them in any rush to break the moment they were immersed in.

"I'm going to head to bed," she said finally, breaking the comfortable silence around them. "I have a shift tomorrow." She took the time to pick up the empty cup from the ground, sending Sasuke a small but genuine smile before she stood and turned.

Sasuke watched her leave, his gaze tracing her back as she walked towards the tent she shared with Ino. She ducked in and Sasuke turned back to the fire in front of him, the blaze dancing in the cold night air. He stayed there for another minute or two before resigning himself to going to his own tent. Naruto was off somewhere, planning something, and he wasn't going to see him before retiring. Glancing over to make sure the night patrol was alert and aware, he headed into the tent he shared with Team Taka. Karin was out like a light, her breathing steady as she used Suigetsu's blanket-covered thigh as a pillow. The white-haired man was scowling in his sleep, his blanket drawn up to just underneath his chin.

Jūgo nodded at him from his corner of their cramped tent, his amused smile directed at the duo in front of him. Sasuke shared his own amusement through a raised eyebrow before he laid himself down on top of his blanket. He closed his eyes and tried to breathe deeply, hoping, praying, that the nightmares would leave him in peace just this once.

_Burning eyes stared forward, bloody tears tracing paths down swollen and bruised cheeks._

_"You must move forward."_

_"How can I? How can I move forward when the people I want to meet at the end of the path are no longer there waiting to meet me?"_

_"...An interesting question, my son. You've given me something to think about."_

They didn't.

**II. Sasuke**

Naruto secluded himself for a total of forty-five hours, without sound or movement. The world moved on without him, people collecting the dead, burning some, burying others. Some of the bodies would be stored and carried back to their villages, regardless of the fact that the buildings were no longer standing. Sasuke stood outside of the tent, debating with himself, before leaving Naruto alone. For the blonde to be that quiet, for that long, he's was either dead or onto something. If even a goddess hadn’t been able to take Naruto down, Sasuke doubted anything else could.

Sakura walked past him at the twenty-four-hour mark, determination in her stride, but Sasuke grabbed her arm gently and didn’t waver under the glare she sent his way. He shook his head and let her mull over his advice. She clearly didn’t like it, believed she knew better, but she let him make the call. She reluctantly nodded, silently agreeing to leave it alone for a bit longer, before she gently tugged her arm out of Sasuke's grasp. He knew he wouldn't see her again until Naruto finally showed his face. She was busy, after all, even if the thought of not seeing his friend for an unknown amount of time made his chest sore.

Kakashi found him forty-four hours into Naruto's self-imposed exile. He grabbed a seat across from Sasuke, the cool evening air caressing his light hair. Sasuke knew it was cowardly, but he couldn't bring himself to meet his eyes.

"Was there anything I could have done," Kakashi started off, slowly, gently, "That would've saved all of us some pain?"

Sasuke didn't need to think about it. "No," he admitted, just as gently. "I needed to make my own decisions, my own mistakes. I would have stopped at nothing to chase what I thought was the only way to lay my family to rest." Sasuke knew himself; he was incredibly stubborn and often struggled with other people trying to make decisions for him, especially when he had been dealing with so much inner turmoil.

Kakashi was quiet for a second, taking in Sasuke's words, before he hummed, accepting Sasuke's confession. "Would you have chased after him no matter what?" Sasuke finally looked up, raising an eyebrow, unsure what exactly Kakashi was asking. "If you had known something wasn't right that night, would you still have left the village?" Kakashi clarified, his coal eyes boring into Sasuke's.

Sasuke was taken aback for just a moment, his gaze startled as he considered what Kakashi was asking. Would he have chased after Itachi if he had known something else was going on? He would've wanted answers, surely, for any suspicious activity that night. Granted, he had been so incredibly young at that point, would he have even noticed anything weird? The trauma from seeing so many dead bodies, seeing his family wiped out before his eyes, would've made his reaction to things volatile at best. Even if he had been presented with evidence that Itachi hadn’t been at fault, Sasuke wasn't sure that he wouldn't have hunted his brother down anyway. Even if it had only been to drag the truth out of his lying, too caring, face. Sasuke would have chased Itachi until his dying breath.

He had proven that if nothing else.

"I would've chased him to the end of the world," Sasuke blurted, uncharacteristically blushing at his outburst. He didn't know why he was flushing, why he felt caught out after his confession, but he didn't let the bubbling feeling of shame stop him from answering. "If I had known that he did what he did for me, I would have chased him down to fight him and then demanded to know why he didn't take me with him."

Kakashi gave him a sad smile like he understood. And maybe, Sasuke realized through his embarrassment, he did. Kakashi had always been loyal to Konoha, but what kind of thoughts must have gone through his head at seeing Obito again? Had he wished the other man had told him of his survival? Had Kakashi, for just a moment, imagined what it would've been like being at Obito's side for all the years they were separated? From what Sasuke understood, Obito had always watched their other teammate, Rin, with adoration. Had Kakashi watched Obito while no one was looking? Had he hidden his desire for companionship behind too many masks to count? It sounded suspiciously like his own relationship with his teammates and he wondered if it was true that history repeated itself. There were several versions of Team 7 and they had all had some type of romantic tragedy nipping at their heels; an oddity for sure, if not slightly suspicious.

His musings were interrupted by Naruto’s sudden appearance outside his tent at the forty-five-hour mark. He was mussed, his clothes creased and the bags under his eyes were even worse than they had been just a couple of days ago. His eyes, however, were brighter than they had been in what seemed like forever. There was a twinkle within them that Sasuke hadn't had the pleasure of seeing for weeks now.

"I've done it," Naruto told them, ignoring the bustle of people preparing for bed. "I know how to fix this."

"How?" Sasuke asked, not exactly sure what Naruto had done. The other teen looked manic, his bright look such a huge contrast to everything surrounding them.

"We're going to send someone back," Naruto said with confidence, his voice holding strong at their incredulous looks . "Far enough back that we can change things."

"Send someone back?" Kakashi asked, bewildered.

"Time travel?" Sasuke asked, just as shocked. Surely that hadn’t been what Naruto meant?

Naruto nodded enthusiastically, a blinding grin gracing his face, making it into a once more familiar sight. "Time travel!"

"You'll have to be the one to convince the Kage," Kakashi told Naruto later, once the shock of Naruto's declaration had worn off. They'd relocated to Naruto's tent, waiting for Sakura's shift to end so they could all discuss how exactly Naruto's time travel scroll would be used. It was a bit of a cramped fit, but Naruto had been given one of the larger tents, simply because everyone had been too grateful for his help to give him one of the rattier single person tents traveling around the camp. Sasuke knew that he'd offered to let others stay with him, though he hadn't seen anyone besides Naruto come and go from the tent for the couple of days he'd been watching it.

"They'll listen to you," Sasuke nodded in agreement, letting Naruto's slightly shocked look go ignored. "Take Kakashi with you, that way you have some political power behind you."

"Won't you come too?" Naruto asked, frowning.

Sasuke couldn't help the twitch of his lips, the soft smile that wanted to make its way onto his face. "They won't exactly be excited to see me." And they wouldn't be. Naruto and the general remaining Konoha shinobi population might have been willing to put up with him, willing to work with him and listen to his suggestions, but the rest of the Allied Shinobi Forces hadn’t felt even a fraction of the affection his ex-village did. He'd stomped all over the place, angry and obnoxious. While Konoha is willing to forgive and forget, the others villages aren't. Sasuke was still paying for his sins and the others villages wouldn't stand by and let him forget that.

Naruto grimaced at the reminder, a sheepish expression making its way onto his face as he rubbed the back of his head. "Right. Nevermind."

"If they agree to this," Kakashi broke in, his expression serious, "then someone needs to be sent back. How do we get them to agree on one person? How can we make that decision?"

"Why only one?" Sasuke retaliated, knowing full well there was a gleam in his eyes at his own words. "Send Naruto. He can make anyone like him with enough stubborn effort. Then send one or two more people, so other bases can be covered. Hell, they should send you. You have enough of a reputation that shit would get done quickly enough."

Kakashi looked flattered for all of a second, surprised affection on his face before he nodded hesitantly. "True. They should send you and Sakura as well then."

"Yeah!" Naruto agreed enthusiastically. "If just us two went back, you and Sakura would be totally suspicious of us being weird. Sakura is the best medic the world has seen since Ba-chan. Besides, you helped me defeat a goddess. If there's anyone I want to take back with me, it's you."

Sasuke hated the fact that he was close to crying at Naruto's words. They were kind, friendship and familial love spread throughout them. Naruto had faith in him, something no one had much of these days when it came to him, and it burned in the most pleasant of ways. But before his mask could break, Sakura stuck her head into the tent, blinking when she saw all three of them huddled together.

"What are you idiots planning?" she asked suspiciously, looking like she wanted to back out if their answer was unsatisfactory.

Naruto got a mischievous grin on his face, humor in his eyes as he answered, "We're discussing time travel. Care to join?"

Sakura just gave him a blank look, unamused by what she believes is to be a joke. When none of them broke, she narrowed her eyes, in concern. "You can't go back alone. You'll mess it up."

Naruto yelped, offended, but Sakura cut him off with a casual, "You'll have to take us with you, just to be safe."

The two shared an excited grin, their friendship a soft, easy thing. Sasuke met Kakashi's eyes and felt something like love bubble up in his chest.

**III. Sasuke**

"The Raikage wasn't exactly excited about four Konoha shinobi being the ones to go back," Kakashi told Sasuke sarcastically, his eye-rolling as he mentions the consistently unruly A. A's unwillingness to deal with any Konoha shinobi, let alone _Sasuke_ , isn't exactly a surprise.

"Gaara was for it, though," Naruto added, slurping up some noodles from his bowl. Sasuke wasn't exactly sure where the blonde had gotten the ramen from, but he was the hero of the Fourth Shinobi War, so he was not surprised that someone had found some to give to him. For all Sasuke knew, there was a special ramen stand set up somewhere meant specifically to keep Naruto happy and well-fed.

"Gaara believes you're the savior of the world," Sakura replied with a snort, not once looking up from her medical notes. She'd been scrounging up any and all information she could, desperate to get as much information as she can. If they were going to go stumbling around in the past, Sakura would be the sole medic on the team. Naruto had advanced healing, of course, but you never know when something could go wrong and they'd need someone to save a life.

"I _am_ the savior of the world," Naruto muttered around his noodles, unashamed of using his newborn notoriety to his advantage. Sasuke couldn’t really blame him, especially given how he had been treated in the past. Still, Naruto's ability to find ramen, even in a sageforesaken _war camp_ , wasn't the topic he had been hoping to broach with his team.

"I don't agree with A," Sasuke started, breaking up the fight before it even started, "but I can admit he has a point. Everything can be traced back to Konoha."

Sasuke was telling the truth. A lot of the fucked up things that had happened, ignoring the whole Kaguya aspect of the war, could be traced back to Konoha and the shadowy roots of the village. Madara had been a spiteful man by the end of it, and his determination to get revenge against his clan and the village he had helped found was one of the best examples of the Uchiha curse at its worst. Ignoring his lapse of judgment when it came to his ideas of peace influenced by Zetsu, Madara hadn’t even been close to being of sound body and mind by the time the war came to fruition. The Uchiha clan had always felt too much, regardless of the type of emotion it was. When an Uchiha was in love, obsession threatened to follow. When one was angry, malicious and volatile anger took over their actions. It was their curse and they had known it. The fact that others have only recently learned this is another strike against them. They had hidden the fact that sometimes, Uchiha just went _bad_. Not all of them were bad, not even close; but when they did go bad, they didn't just quit at the starting line. Uchiha went bad in the worst ways, willing to tear the very foundation of the world down to the ground to suit their desires.

It hadn't just been the Uchiha at fault, however. Sasuke still boiled with rage when he thought of Shimura Danzō and his shady tactics. The man had been a blight upon the world and Sasuke only felt satisfaction when he thought of his demise. It burned, just a little, that he would be alive once more when they went back, but Sasuke doubted anyone would argue against killing him at the earliest opportunity. The man was dangerous alive and any plans would have to be constantly changed to try and fit around his maneuvering.

The Kage had agreed that going back before the massacre was their best bet, if only so Kakashi, as the only one who would be an actual shinobi at that point, would have the chance to get to Danzō before he helped lead the Uchiha clan to its ruin. The clan had been willing to negotiate at one point before Danzō upped the ante with maliciously spread rumors, and Sasuke was sure they could get there again. Itachi had been a shoo-in candidate to be the next Hokage and Sasuke was more than sure Kakashi would be able to convince the Third Hokage to nominate Itachi as a candidate in order to placate the clan. Itachi might not be that excited about it, but he'd shown more than once that he'd do whatever he had to do to keep the village and the clan from coming to blows. The Uchiha clan was well known for wanting nothing to do with Madara, so they should hopefully make good allies down the line.

Going back that far would also allow them to establish themselves as geniuses. It would take a little work, but they could come across as a team and Kakashi would offer to be their sensei, outwardly stating that they reminded him of himself. They would have time to climb the ranks and have the ability to get out of the village far sooner than they had the first time around. The sooner they traveled and got the political climate of the other villages under control, the better off they'd be in the long run.

Naruto was talking excitedly with Sakura, their previous argument forgotten in the wake of Sasuke's damning statement. No one said anything to contradict him, just nodded along, before they broke off into a different conversation. Now his two more excitable teammates are discussing something, though Sasuke didn't know what. Instead, he turned his focus to a quiet Kakashi. The man had gone along with Naruto's plan with very little questions, trusting his student without reservations. Sasuke knew Naruto appreciated it, but he also knew that he hadn’t picked up on the hesitation Kakashi displayed when agreeing to go back with them.

"What made you hesitate?" Sasuke asked quietly.

Kakashi knew full well what he was talking about, so he didn't ask him to specify. He gave him an assessing look like he was not sure Sasuke could handle the truth, but Kakashi must have found whatever he was looking for because he sighed, his shoulders slumping, and there's something like exhaustion lining his face. "Obito," Kakashi confessed with a tired whisper. "I'm tempted to try and change his future. He was stupid and selfish, but he was also manipulated into being that way. He would have already committed enough crimes to get him executed, but if he came forward and helped end things—," Kakashi cut himself off, uncharacteristic concern and apprehension making their way into his voice.

"You want to save him," Sasuke gently guessed , understanding that feeling deep in his bones. If they had agreed to go back after the massacre, Sasuke would've rallied to have some type of plan to bring Itachi back to the village. He had committed genocide on the orders of a hungry war hawk, but he was Sasuke's brother. He had traumatized Sasuke at a young age, and it probably wasn't healthy to want him as close as Sasuke did, but he wouldn't try to change his feelings. What both Obito and Itachi had done was both physically and mentally abusive, but they had found themselves living in a darker world than they had thought. If they could once more become who they had been before their actions broke the world, Sasuke knew that both he and Kakashi would welcome back their respective rogue Uchiha in a heartbeat.

"Changing things will mean that a lot of the knowledge we have will become useless," Sakura's voice cut in, her conversation with Naruto rising in volume as she argues with the blonde. "I'm not saying we can't change anything, because obviously that's why we're going back, but too much too soon and suddenly we don't have the advantage." Sasuke tuned back in because she had a point, and he was greeted with the sight of a pouting Naruto, clearly chagrined at Sakura's scolding. "With us planning on becoming genin so much sooner, we won't be a part of our original Chūnin Exams. We'll have to advance in rank quickly enough that our cover of geniuses holds strong. Meeting Gaara and confronting Orochimaru during the exam isn't going to happen."

Sasuke grimaced at the mention of the snake Sannin. Orochimaru, might have turned over a new leaf _now,_ but he was nowhere _near_ redemption at the time they were returning to. He would be a problem to be dealt with when they could officially be out of the village. Sasuke wasn't particularly looking forward to it.

"Orochimaru was still in contact with the village during the time of the massacre," Kakashi added, shocking Sasuke.

"He was?"

"Yes," Kakashi nodded. "According to some of the papers I found, he was the one that gave Danzō his Sharingan arm, which means he had to have been given access to all the dead bodies after the massacre."

Sasuke wrinkled his nose at the image his mind creates, one of his former senseis dissecting his dead clan members, but the confession didn't exactly shock him. Orochimaru has been obsessed with the Sharingan for as long as Sasuke had known him, so learning he was the original creator of the arm Danzō carried wasn't a surprise. It did leave a slightly unpleasant taste in his mouth, though.

"So we'll just have to plan around that," Sakura stated boldly. "Danzō will be dead, so there will be no reason to ever gain that many eyes and put them in a severed limb."

"You clearly don't know Orochimaru," Sasuke said darkly. "He doesn't need a reason."

Sakura's face twitched in horror, but she quickly hid it with a grimace.

"With Danzō gone, however, that will leave Orochimaru in an interesting position," Kakashi said slowly, his mind clearly at work. "I don't know if you're aware, but Orochimaru was Root. The official story that was told was that he was experimenting on his fellow shinobi, but it makes me wonder if maybe he had permission. He's incredibly good at seals in his own right and it wouldn't surprise me if he had a hand in the ones that kept the Root agents silent."

The idea was an interesting one, Sasuke admitted to himself. If Danzō had given Orochimaru permission to experiment on his fellow shinobi, it would change the politics behind Orochimaru's punishment. Danzō had proven himself to be a sadistic tyrant all over again, but if the case was ever made, Orochimaru could possibly be permitted to return to the village on a sort of heavy probation. He had been under the purview of Danzō, after all, just following orders from the Hokage's most trusted friend. Yes, Sasuke could see how that could work. It wasn’t a particularly good excuse, but if Orochimaru could prove to be useful in the past, Sasuke would have something to work with. The Sandaime had forgiven worse with shittier excuses.

Funny, how so much strife went back to one war-hungry, decrepit old man. Funny, and yet Sasuke couldn't bring himself to laugh.

* * *

**Interlude: Undisclosed I**

_"You have an odd look on your face, father. Something you wish to discuss?"_

_"Your bother said something to me that has left me questioning things."_

_"What things?"_

_"Fate and free will; and the ability of those determined enough to change it."_

* * *

**IV. Sasuke**

Sasuke kept his eyes closed and his ears open, unashamed as he eavesdrops on the conversation taking place outside of his tent. It was incredibly early, the sun not yet reaching the horizon, and the rest of Team Taka was fast asleep. Sasuke usually woke early, but the sound of muffled footsteps had woken him even earlier than when he usually rouses himself awake. He was more or less the first one up when not on patrol, so he was vaguely curious as to who woke up before him this morning.

"Naruto," Gaara's calm voice said, soft in the early morning dawn.

"Hey, Gaara," Naruto answered just as softly, a shuffling sound following.

"I wanted to ask for a favor," Gaara said hesitantly, his voice pausing slightly.

"What is it?"

"You will not meet me at the Chūnin Exams," Gaara started, "so I will not be beaten into realizing I am more than a monster. Naruto, would you find a way to help me sooner?"

"What? Of course I will! You didn't have to ask," Naruto replied, obviously disgruntled.

Sasuke could hear the smile in Gaara's voice as he said, "I know. That's not the favor. The favor I'm asking...I wish for you to help my father. Keep him from being killed by Orochimaru. Save him, please, so he can be alive to see I'm not who he feared I'd be. That I grow up to be my mother's son."

There was a silence after that before a sniffle sounds from Naruto's direction. "Gaara, man, _of course_. It'll be my own personal mission, I swear it."

Sasuke closed his eyes and when he opened them again a beam of light was slowly making its way into the tent. He stretched and held back a yawn, blearily seeing that the other three occupants hadn't moved an inch since the last time he’d been awake. He scratched his stomach for a moment, trying to get his brain back online, before he reached for his pack and stood, heading out of the tent. There were rotations for bathing and he'd been waiting three days for his turn in a functioning shower, so he was eager to get there before the rush of the day started and the hot water got used up. He was zipping up the tent when he spotted Naruto deep in discussion with Shikamaru, the Nara genius leaning back against a boulder while Naruto nodded along to whatever he was saying. Sasuke is curious, but he figured any advice Shikamaru had would be shared among their group later in the evening.

Turning away, he almost didn't spot the Hyūga heiress watching Naruto from across the field. She was standing in the direction of the showers, so Sasuke made his way over to her, his stomach heavy at the sight of the longing in her eyes.

"This is your last chance, you know, to tell him how you feel and to get him to understand," Sasuke told her as he approached, not bothering to sugarcoat his words.

It showed just how much Hinata had grown that she didn't blush at his assertions. She just tilted her head, showing her willingness to listen.

"I would go for it," Sasuke continued, pausing to stand beside her.

"I always thought," Hinata started hesitantly, "that you two..."

Sasuke smiled sadly because maybe, in the very back of his head, _he had too_ . Team 7 had always been a mishmash of hormones directed at the wrong people. Naruto had wanted Sakura, Sakura had wanted Sasuke, and Sasuke, while mostly busy with revenge, had only ever let Naruto close enough to feel anything. Just before he left, he had felt something more for Sakura and he knew that she had opened up to Naruto by that point as well. Naruto always had felt strongly for Sasuke, so maybe, if Sasuke had stayed, they all could've agreed to something when they were older and more mature. The three of them, together, _sounded right_. It wouldn't feel right though, not anymore. They were bonded together, stronger now, but there was wasted potential that would always linger in the backs of their minds. They had headed towards the path of the Sannin far too quickly for them to be undamaged, though they had avoided their particular fate for now. Still, anything between the three of them, regardless of the combination, was dead in the water. Like he had told Sakura, it was never happening, not between any of them.

"No," Sasuke finally answered, "Not now. Not after everything."

Hinata didn't ask, just nodded, before taking a breath and heading towards Naruto to take the spot Shikamaru has just vacated. Sasuke didn't bother to watch how their conversation went, didn't particularly want to know how it would end. Instead, he nodded a greeting towards a disgruntled Sakura as she walked past with an equally disgruntled Temari, a small smile on his face as he headed to the showers.

Clean and dressed in clothes with slightly fewer holes in them, Sasuke made his way back to his shared tent, taking his time to walk idly through the camp. There was still some activity around, but there's less time dedicated to collecting the dead. Word had spread of the time travel attempt that would take place tomorrow, and if all goes well, this future will blink out of existence. Hopefully, when the four of them had gone back to the past, there would no longer be any need to collect bodies for burning or burials.

"Sasuke-kun," Karin greeted when he ducked into the tent, a scroll spread out across her lap.

Sasuke nodded, glancing up to see both Suigetsu and Jūgo were nowhere in sight.

"Sasuke-kun," Karin said again, this time tentative. He peeked up at her as he settled his bag next to his blanket, an eyebrow raised in question. Karin bit her lip lightly, clearly unsure, before she started speaking again, "I was wondering... when you go back, could you find me sooner? Orochimaru has become something like family, but before you were there... it wasn't a fun place to be. He never cared before you. It would make me feel better if I knew you were looking after me. After _us_."

Sasuke watched her, a realization coming to mind. Suigetsu and Jūgo had vacated the tent for the specific purpose of letting Karin be their spokesperson. They, all three of them, wanted to be with Sasuke and not Orochimaru. It hit Sasuke, just as suddenly, that he wanted them there too. While Naruto and Sakura have turned into his deeply cherished siblings, Karin and the rest of Team Taka were the best friends in his life. They weren't exactly family, not the way Team 7 was, but they _were_ important to him. They matter and their pain caused him suffering.

"Of course," he replied, meeting her eyes.

She gave him a watery grin and Sasuke could abruptly see the Uzumaki in her. The idea of introducing a younger Karin to Naruto, showing her that she still had family, was a good one. It caused him to give her a rare smile back. He won't be able to save Karin's mother, there just wasn’t time, but he could do his best to get into contact with her during the Chūnin Exams. He wasn't entirely sure where the other two members of Team Taka had been at that point, however. If he had to follow the worst-case scenario, he could get Karin out of Orochimaru's clutches, as well as Suigetsu and Jūgo. He had done it once and he could do it again.

"I'm going to go see if Sakura needs any help in the medic's tent," Karin said, wiping at her eyes to quickly get rid of any happy tears that had formed. "I'll see you tonight."

Sasuke watched her go, a ball of determination making its way into his heart. Naruto had his own personal mission and now Sasuke had his.

* * *

**Interlude: Undisclosed II**

_"Have you reached any conclusions, father?"_

_"Hm?"_

_"About fate and free will?"_

_"Ah, yes, I have."_

_"And?"_

_"I've decided to shake things up a bit."_

_"How so?"_

_"I'm going to break away from fate, my son, and we're going to see just how much destruction will rain down from the damage it does."_

_"And how exactly are you going to do that?"_

_"Fetch your brother and perhaps I'll find it in myself to share."_

* * *

**V. Sasuke**

They stood off to the side, no one daring to get closer to the large sealing array on the ground. Karin was painstakingly drawing seals down his back, the ones on his chest, stomach, and arms, already drying. Naruto was grinning down at a slightly blushing Hinata, fondness written on his face. Sakura was unashamed as she had only an arm covering her chest, the seal requiring her full back with no obstructions. The chest portion had been done out of sight by Ino and the blonde is just finishing up the seals on Sakura's shoulders. Kakashi was clearly exasperated as Gai grinned at him, unrepentantly bothering him as an amused Tenten finished the seals on his arms. The seals were close to being finished and once they're were dry, they could truly get things started. There's a hush falling through the crowd the closer they get to being ready to start, an anticipatory feeling filling the air. Everyone wanted a different outcome, whether it's was simply less death or the prevention of a single person's passing. They all wanted the Fourth Shinobi War to be wiped from existence.

"Done," Karin said in wonder, staring at the marks now covering Sasuke's skin. She'd done a good job, her hand steady as she slowly made her way through the seals Naruto had provided her with. It tingled slightly, the seals empowered with Kurama's chakra in the ink Naruto had given them. It's was not a bad feeling.

"You guys ready?" Naruto asked as he approached the seal, stopping just before he would've stepped on the edge of it.

Sasuke nodded, turning back to give Karin a soft smile. She was teary-eyed once more, but she was also one of the strongest women he knew. She pushed him slightly, careful not to mess up the seals, before she took her leave, heading back to stand with the rest of the crowd. Sasuke made his way forward, stopping next to Naruto. Kakashi was next, pale skin bared as he nodded at them. Seeing his bare face, even in such circumstances, was still a shock. Sasuke had been taking glances at him for what had been close to an hour, and still, the sight was odd. At least he hadn't tripped over his feet like Naruto had when Kakashi first had showed up for the ceremony sans mask. Sakura had gaped when she come out of her tent, but she at least had kept her footing. She was obviously more used to it now, because she approaches last, not once glancing at his face. They all did her the courtesy of not glancing at her bare chest. She was their equal and there was no reason to ogle her.

"Ready?" Naruto asked, voice drifting out to reach the crowd.

"Ready," the three of them said at the exact same time, waiting.

Naruto gave a nod to Gaara and the Kazekage gave a serious nod back. With that done, Gaara lead the crowd in drawing their chakra forward. Time travel, while thought about before, had never been attempted. The idea of it wasn't ludicrous, per se, but the amount of chakra needed for such an event? Astronomical. Not even Kurama, at his full strength, would've been able to send a single person back, let alone four. So while the seals written on them were the keys that sent them back, the seal on the ground was there for the crowd to funnel chakra into. Once there was enough, they would add their own and their seals should activate, successfully sending them through the time stream and into the past.

It took roughly ten minutes for the weaker shinobi to peter out, stronger and stronger nin cutting off their chakra drain. Soon it was only Jonin and then Kage. Finally, the last amount of chakra that can be donated was cut off and all four of them simultaneously started siphoning their chakra into the seal. It had to be done in a pattern, starting with Naruto and ending with Sasuke, for the circle they had formed to work. They all kept a baseline of chakra flowing into the seal, but they would hold back most of their efforts until their section of the circle had been reached. Naruto’s part took time, both his and Kurama's chakra going in to feed the seal. When they had both decided that it's enough, Naruto reached out and grasped Kakashi's hand. His seal abruptly lit up, a red glow appearing on Naruto's skin as Kakashi started to feed in his own chakra. When he finished, he grabbed Sakura's hand and his seals started to glow a silvery-white color. Sasuke wasn't sure what exactly influenced the seal color, as they have all been given the same ink to be drawn on their skin, but he couldn't finish the thought before Sakura reached out and grasped his hand, pale green glowing from her seals. Sasuke started concentrating immediately, sending as much chakra into the seal as he could spare. When he was down to a trickle, he cut himself off and grabbed Naruto's hand, squeezing it tightly. He glanced down briefly, fascinated by the purple glow illuminating his skin.

There was suddenly a deafening silence. Sasuke didn't remember closing his eyes, but he couldn't bring himself to open them now that he'd noticed they were closed. There was no ambient noise from the crowd, nor from the nature around them. Nothing penetrated the unseen bubble of nothing. There was a pause and then a pull from his core. Confused, Sasuke's brow furrowed. The chakra portion of the sealing should have been over. Before he could try and voice his concerns, Sasuke felt a sharp burn in his eyes. He flinched, unprepared for the searing pain. It felt like a burning fire had been lit behind his eyes. The Rinnegan hurts , but his Eternal Mangekyou Sharingan was causing him pain like he'd never experienced before. He didn't know what the hell was going on and, not thinking about it, he let Sakura's hand go and he reached up to clutch at his eye. Nothing bad happened, though at this point his mind was clouded in pain, and he found himself touching blood, wet and warm, running down his face. Concern shot through him and then suddenly he was not touching anything; because for just a brief moment, _he didn't exist_. Then he was gasping awake, vision dark, as he sat up from what felt like an uncomfortably stiff bed.

He was hyperventilating immediately, his eyes tearing up from pain as he struggled to take in a gasp of breath. His body felt odd, _different_ , and he felt like he no longer knew how to make himself breathe. All around him is darkness, just black nothingness, and he could feel something tightly wrapped around his eyes.

"W-What," he struggled out, chest burning as he wheezed, choking down lungfuls of air.

"Calm down!" a concerned voice called out, a soft hand suddenly resting on his upper chest. "You're alright! You're in the hospital."

Sasuke was shaking, and he could feel how weak and stiff his joints were. Confused, he managed to croak out, "What happened— to my eyes?"

"...you were injured," the female voice replied eventually, hesitantly taking her hand off of his heaving chest. "I should go get the head medic."

"No, please," Sasuke said again, coughing at the barely-there whisper of his voice from his ragged throat. "My eyes?"

"...they were bleeding, when they found you," the voice replied gently, the hand returning to rest lightly on his shoulder as a sign of comfort. "They had to perform surgery, but we won't know any more until we take the bandages off..."

Sasuke stopped breathing for just a moment, concern flying across his brain, but he's was familiar with the difference between the darkness of covered eyes and having no sight whatsoever, so he forced himself to calm down, the pain in his chest slowly giving way, and he nodded slightly, tiredly replying, "Thank you."

"Of course! I'll go get the doctor," the nurse replied quickly, rushing out of the room.

As soon as the door closed, Sasuke struggled to get up, groaning in pain through clenched teeth. _This didn't happen last time_ , he thought as he struggled to pull himself out of the bed he had previously been resting on. All of the hospital rooms had the same layout and if he was correct, the door to the bathroom should be right—yes, right there. He clumsily opened it, shutting it behind him and fumbled with the lock. He reached around awkwardly, bumping into the wall twice before he found the sink that was supposed to be resting in front of the bathroom mirror. Swallowing down his nerves, he carefully started to remove the bandage wrapped around his eyes. As soon as he did, he started to sense light and some of the panic edging in his mind left. Even if his vision wasn't what it had been, he could still fight if he could sense shadows and light. He took off the bandage, squinting in the bright light of the hospital bathroom, and he had to blink tears out of his eyes. He continued to squint, starting a rhythm of widening, then narrowing his eyes to try and focus his vision. The longer he did this, the quicker he realized something was _very_ wrong.

Brown hair choppily cut short was poking out from the remaining bandage around his head. There was a mole below his right eye. One startled onyx eye, the other Sasuke's familiar Rinnegan. He felt his chakra pulse, weak but there, and his Eternal Mangekyou Sharingan faded in and then out quickly, confirming its presence. Air let itself out of his lungs, a whooshing sound loud in the otherwise silent bathroom.

"What," Sasuke asked in disbelief as he stared at his eyes in the familiar face of Uchiha Izumi, "the ever-loving fuck is going on?"

* * *

**Interlude: Undisclosed III**

_"I must thank you for not fighting Sasuke."_

_"Why fight when I would've been dead either way? What's the point fighting him when it'd only have killed both of us?"_

_"Indeed."_

_"At least you got a choice."_

_"Now, there's no need to be bitter."_

_"Bitter? You have stolen our bodies in order to allow those disgusting—"_

_"_ Enough _."_

_Silence._

_"All four of you were chosen for a reason. One of you had reached the end of your lifeline. Two of you caused unimaginable destruction among the living that could not continue. And the last of you, well, I'm just not particularly fond of anyone who could treat my children with such cold disdain."_

_"Hm."_


	2. I. Sasuke—Interlude III: Naruto

__

* * *

**_The Past_**

* * *

**I. Sasuke**

Something had, quite clearly, gone terribly wrong with their attempt at time travel. Sasuke studied his face, turning his head and then sticking out his tongue, Izumi's image copying him in the mirror. He stared incredulously at Izumi’s confused face in the mirror. He was supposed to have ended up in his younger body, waking up in his house. After the massacre, he had stayed in the hospital for a week as he was monitored for emotional breaks. He had been depressed and angry and they had only let him go when he had forced himself to calm down long enough to get approval to leave. Of course, he hadn't been calm in any sense of the word, just numb enough to pull it off. His care after the massacre was subpar at best and was probably one of the reasons he had held no guilt for leaving the village in order to chase power. Still, while he obviously had once more found himself in the hospital, he was very much not in his own body.

Uchiha Izumi was memorable for the simple fact that she had been the only other Uchiha Sasuke could remember getting any emotions out of Itachi. There was Shisui, of course, but he was more of an elder brother figure to Itachi. Izumi, if memory served, had been one of the few candidates being considered for Itachi's future spouse. She had been fond of Itachi and Itachi had tolerated her presence, so their father and mother had encouraged their friendship, even if tolerating her had basically translated to not glaring at her when she talked at him. Sasuke had never particularly cared for her, but he hadn't been the one eventually marrying her. Izumi had died, just like every other Uchiha besides Sasuke. She had never been in the hospital, having taken a sword through the chest, held under Itachi's Tsukuyomi for only a second before dying. There was literally no feasible way she could have been alive, let alone alive enough for Sasuke to be running around in her body.

Swallowing, Sasuke lifted up the hospital shirt he has on, slowly revealing a pale stomach and then heavy bandages. His chest twinged in pain as his arms rose higher, a clear indication that something had injured him in that area. If Izumi had been run through, how had she survived? Had she made it out last time and no one had told him? Impossible, surely. Had she maybe died in the hospital, and no one had wanted to give him even worse news? Possible, but still not likely. Something had gone wrong during the time travel and when Sasuke met his eyes in the mirror, he thought he might know what.

His eyes. The Rinnegan had hurt, but it was the excruciating pain from his Eternal Mangekyou Sharingan that concerns him the most. He had never felt a pain that intense before. He'd bled from his eyes, before he carried Itachi's eyes, and it had hurt. _He'd had his eyes removed before_ . That had been _nothing_ compared to the hell Sasuke had gone through in the time stream. His eye had reacted to _something_ in the time stream and it had caused this weird body-swapping scenario. What, exactly, had gone wrong?

"Uchiha-chan," the nurse called from the opposite side of the door, startling Sasuke. "Are you alright? Did you find the bathroom okay without seeing anything?"

"Y-yes," Sasuke stuttered out, dropping his shirt quickly. He stumbled awkwardly, still not used to Izumi's preteen body. He wrapped the bandages back around his eyes, darkness once more encompassing his vision. He cleared his throat. The last of the gravel finally left it, revealing Izumi's soft drawl. "Um, could someone explain to me what's going on?"

"Of course," a male voice answered. "Please, come out here and I can examine you while we explain."

Sasuke took in a nervous breath before hesitantly reaching out to the door handle, turning it and letting it swing open. The gentle hands of the nurse found his arm quickly and he was directed towards his bed.

"Good morning, Uchiha-chan," the man, who Sasuke assumed was the doctor, greeted him. "My name is Amari Junji and I assume you've already acquainted yourself with your nurse, Miyata-san."

"Yes," Sasuke nodded in affirmation, allowing Miyata to position him onto the bed.

"How are you feeling this morning, Uchiha-chan?" Amari asked, the ruffling of papers making it apparent he was looking at Izumi's chart.

"Sore," Sasuke answered shortly, uncertain about the complicated mess his emotions were. "I'm confused, Amari-san. What exactly happened? What's wrong with my eyes?"

There was a pause, the sound of clothing shifting, before the nurse sat down beside him, her voice soft as she told him, "If you need to hold my hand, I'm right here."

"According to the reports," Amari started, his tone grave, "Uchiha Itachi suffered a mental break and proceeded to massacre the majority of the Uchiha clan."

Sasuke couldn't hold back a choked gasp, hating that he'd teared up behind his bandages. He knew full well what had happened. He'd lived through this before. He'd lived over a decade with his family gone. He shouldn't be tearing up at hearing it all over again.

"I'm so sorry, Uchiha-chan," Miyata whispered, her arm wrapping around Sasuke's shoulder.

"You said the majority," Sasuke gasped out, struggling to hold back his emotions. "Does that mean someone else made it out?"

"Yes," Amari said comfortingly, pity clear in his voice. "Uchiha Sasuke made it out alive."

"Sasuke," Sasuke muttered, speaking his own name with confusion. Quite obviously this time was the same as his past, or it seemed to be, so why was _Izumi_ here?

"He was the only one spared of any injuries," Amari confessed. "You were lucky he stumbled upon you when shouting for help. Otherwise, you would've died along with the rest of your clan."

Sasuke remembered finding Izumi's body, of course. He had passed out after Itachi's mental attack and had woken up in a silent compound, covered in blood. He wasn't quite sure how long he had been out, only that it had still been dark out and that no one had come calling for the missing Uchiha. Danzō might have had a hand in the lack of response to the chaos that went down that night, but Sasuke would never really know why the village had taken so long to respond. He had stumbled through the streets, tears of anger and anguish streaked down his cheeks when he had tripped, falling over. He had snarled at nothing, looking over to see Izumi's lifeless body lying outside of her house, a trail of blood leading from her house to the front stoop. Either she had made it that far before dying, or someone had moved her body after the fact. Regardless, she had been one hundred percent dead when Sasuke had lived through it the first time. Clearly, something had changed that night.

"Can I see him? Sasuke, I mean," he asked quickly, not wanting to let the opportunity pass. If he was in Izumi's body, then was it possible that Izumi was in his body? Was that a thing that could happen?

"You really need some rest," Miyata cooed at him, patting his hand.

"I want to see him," Sasuke insisted, his voice growing louder and more shrill. "If he's the only one left, I need to be by his side. If we're the only Uchiha alive, that makes me his guardian. _I have the right to see him_."

"Of course," Amari mumbled, a sigh on his lips. "Let me take a look at your chest wound and then your eyes. If they're okay, you can go see him immediately after."

Sasuke tensed, apprehension lining his body. He didn't care if the doctor checked his chest wound, as it was mostly easy to ignore the small amount of pain radiating from it. His eyes, however, were a different story. How in the hell was he supposed to hide the damn Rinnegan sitting in his eye socket? Sasuke started to sweat nervously as he took off his top, raising his arms to let the doctor and nurse unwind the bandages.

"Huh," Amari gave a considering hum. "That's odd. It seems to have healed rather quickly."

"I'm a fast healer," Sasuke cut in, not wanting the doctor looking too closely. They would have used medical ninjutsu on such a serious wound, but some of the rawness of the wound should've remained. Sasuke didn't feel like the wound was still raw, and he had no answers, so letting them think he had some type of healing ability was his only option.

Amari gave another considering hum, poking a bit at the tender wound before pulling away and giving Sasuke his shirt back. The wound must be healed enough not to need a bandage again because they didn't offer him any new ones. Curious, Sasuke reached up to finger the wound and was surprised to feel smooth scar tissue. It still hurt like it was still healing on the inside, but the scar tissue was older than it should be. Izumi had never had this type of healing. No Uchiha had had accelerated healing. _What exactly was going on?_ Sasuke thought in confusion. Nothing was making any sense.

"And now for your eyes," Amari said, reaching to unwrap the bandages on his body. On Izumi's body. _Whatever._

It felt like an eternity for the bandages to come off and Sasuke was careful to only open his right eye, his vision swimming shortly before becoming clear once more.

Miyata was a red-headed nurse, with her headband wrapped around her arm, out of the way. She was in the standard nurse's uniform, though she must have had to special order it given how tall she was. Sasuke was surprised at her height. Amari, in contrast, was actually pretty short for the average man, with mousy brown hair accompanied by square glasses. Sasuke couldn't see any visible headband, but the man was wearing a buttoned lab coat, so it could be anywhere.

"There you are," Miyata said with a gentle smile, her voice kind.

"Your other eye seems to be healing well," Amari hummed, bringing out a flashlight to examine Sasuke's right eye. "Does the empty socket feel weird?"

"E-Empty socket?" Sasuke stuttered out, blinking at the bright light shining in his eye.

"Yes," Amari confirmed, putting away his flashlight. "Your left eye had to be removed due to a blood clot. It was completely healed after the removal. Is the socket sore? Would you like me to take a second look at it?"

"No!" Sasuke shouted, coughing when he startled the two medical professionals. "No, I'm fine. Please, take me to Sasuke-kun."

He got a weird look from Amari, a hesitant suspicion, but the man allowed Miyata to help him up from the bed and into a wheelchair as soon as he finished wrapping a bandage around Sasuke's closed eye. Miyata wheeled him out of the room, though Sasuke found himself thoroughly distracted. According to both the nurse and the doctor, Izumi had had surgery to remove one eye. What had they done with the eye? By the time Sasuke had woken up in her body, his Rinnegan had replaced it. Was it possible that the original Izumi had survived with no interference on Sasuke's part? Or had his appearance had something to do with her mysterious recovery? Sasuke held back a growl, frustration eating its way into his chest. He had exactly zero answers for any of his questions. He has no idea why his Sharingan had interfered, nor why it had sent him into the _wrong_ _body_.

They turned a corner and stopped in front of a generic set of doors. Miyata opened one of the doors and backed them into the room, stopping before turning Sasuke around to shut the door. When she turned to face Sasuke she let out a surprised gasp, a nervous giggle leaving her lips. "Oh! I'm so sorry! I didn't know anyone else was in here. Forgive me, Shimura-san."

Sasuke's entire world stopped for just a second, his body tensing in a fight or flight response. Disbelief coursed through his veins as Miyata turned him around to face the elder. There he was, the bane of Sasuke's existence, standing at his younger counterpart's bedside like he had any right to be there. Had he visited Sasuke in the original past and Sasuke had missed him? Had he done something to Sasuke while he was out cold? Anger coursed through his veins and he bit his tongue so hard he tasted blood. He couldn't attack Danzō for multiple reasons. One, he was in no shape to fight. He didn't have the entirety of his chakra at his disposal and he was in an unfamiliar body, with unknown strengths and weaknesses. Two, any plans they had had for Danzō's death were out the door. Something had gone wrong with their attempt at time travel. Not only was Sasuke in the wrong body, he suddenly realized, but he had no certainty that his teammates were where he expected them to be. Were they in their bodies? In someone else's bodies? Or, worse, had they not made it back at all? Three, Miyata had yet to leave, which meant there was a witness. If Sasuke attempted murder, Miyata would get in the way. Sasuke wasn't about to go around killing innocents, so much to his displeasure, Danzō would have to live another day.

"Shimura-san," Sasuke greeted stiffly, muscles bunched up as Miyata wheeled him closer to the single bed in the room.

His younger body was laying there, breathing deeply as he slept. He looked so small in the white sheets, his pale skin almost blending in with the bedding. He had never realized how pale he had been after the massacre. How sickly he must have looked.

"And this is?" Danzō asked, a strange tone in his voice.

"This is Uchiha Izumi, Shimura-san. She is the second survivor of the Uchiha Massacre."

"Second survivor?" Danzō asked before he shook his head, turning back to look at Sasuke's limp body. "Of course, forgive my memory. I'm an old man these days and much escapes me."

"It's no problem," Miyata replied brightly, locking Sasuke's wheelchair in place. "If you'll excuse me, I'm going to go change your sheets now that you're up and about, Uchiha-chan. I'll let Shimura-san keep you company." With that, Miyata exited the room, a skip in her step.

Silence descended and one of Sasuke's reasons to not take a swipe at Danzō had just left the room. They didn't exchange any words, both of them just quietly watching Sasuke's younger body's chest rise and fall. Danzō shifted beside him, causing Sasuke to twitch and glance up, his single eye meeting Danzō's own bared eye. He paused. Weren't Danzō's eyes supposed to be brown? Sasuke could've sworn that he remembered the look in the elder's eyes when he had finally realized he was going to die. The way the cedar color had darkened in fury at his predicament; yes, Sasuke was certain he remembered the bastard’s eye color. Seeing him now, however, Sasuke saw coal gray staring back at him. Was it possible that something as significant as an eye color was another change in this altered past? Was Sasuke even in his own past? Was this some type of dimension-hopping nonsense that Naruto had thought was time travel? Danzō looked away, his gaze once more on the younger Sasuke's prone form, but Sasuke couldn't help but feel he'd seen those eyes somewhere before.

Had he been mistaken? Surely not. No, those eyes were familiar, but not from Danzō. But where had he seen them before? A flood of memories sparked and he saw a grim face, seals glowing silver as the world went dark. If Sasuke was in Izumi's body, was it possible that the others had ended up in other bodies? If Sasuke was here, did that mean that Danzō was really—

"K-Kakashi-sensei?"

Danzō's head whipped around, surprise shining in his wide eye. "Who—?"

"It is," Sasuke breathed a sigh of relief, anxiety melting from his shoulders. His body relaxed, the confirmation that Danzō wasn't the one in the room with him, but Kakashi stuck in his body. He quickly reached up and unwrapped the covered side of his head, opening his eye to reveal the Rinnegan.

"Sasuke?" Kakashi asked in shock, glancing down at his younger body. "You too? What is going on?"

"Hell if I know," Sasuke grimaced, joining Kakashi in his vigil. "If we can end up in any old body and I'm Izumi and you're Danzō, where the hell, or more importantly _who the hell_ , are the other two?"

* * *

**Interlude I: Kakashi**

Kakashi had lived in a dark fog for the majority of his life. There were days when the sun valiantly fought to break through the gray that surrounded his world, but it never quite succeded. His father had restored his honor through suicide and Kakashi was bitter and resentful because he had loved his father with his entire being, and then the man had left him. Alone. To face the scrutiny of the village that had driven him to commit the act in the first place. Kakashi hated that he was stronger than his father, the ability to stand straight in the face of such derision ground into his bones.

He stood straight, followed every rule to the letter, and was left devastated when doing so resulted in the death of all those he loves. Obito was an idiot and Kakashi mourned. Rin died for the village and Kakashi mourned. Minato stared death in the face and stood strong and Kakashi mourned. Always Kakashi was left behind, always he was given hope in his foggy world only for the sun to become eclipsed by another storm cloud. The fog grew thick and Kakashi found himself lost.

For years he had seen no hope. He was recruited by Root and couldn’t bring himself to care about the shady tactics that Danzō used. What did it matter to Kakashi if an ally was assassinated by his hand? The world was dark and full of evil, so Kakashi didn’t care if he added to it. He listened to his orders and he performed like the perfect soldier he was. It was the only reason he could imagine why Danzō chose to approach him. Kakashi had followed every single order he was given. Why shouldn't Danzō believe Kakashi would follow that one as well?

"Kill the Sandaime Hokage. Do not get caught."

"Yes, Danzō-sama," Kakashi had replied, emotions numb as he went to follow his orders.

He left headquarters, analytical mind at work. How should he go about this? Poison? No, too suspicious. He could attempt a regular assassination, but the Sandaime Hokage was no pushover. Kakashi had no idea if he could beat the man, especially if the element of surprise was taken out of the equation. Plus, Kakashi would have to find someone to blame it on, and Danzō hadn't specified anyone else in his bad books. Perhaps Kakashi could use a rare poison, one that looked like the Hokage had died in his sleep from old age? Yes, that might work. Kakashi knew a man in Kirigakure that—

"Woah! Sorry, old man!" a child shouted from beside him, apologizing for having run into his legs.

Kakashi looked down and felt the fog lift from his mind. _He looks so much like his father_ , he couldn’t help but think, a wave of emotion threatening to spill into tears as he stared down at a grinning Uzumaki Naruto.

"Naruto!" an angry voice shouted from somewhere in the crowd, breaking the moment between them. Naruto laughed obnoxiously, giving one last sheepish grin towards Kakashi, before he took off, running down the street as he tried to escape.

Kakashi watched him leave and found he had been holding his breath the entire time he had met the little boy's eyes.

Kakashi's mind was clear for the first time in years and he felt horror at what he had become. He was worse than he ever was as a child; he was no longer a shinobi, but a murderer in the making. He didn’t follow the code any longer, that much was obvious by his uncaring attitude at being ordered to kill the _leader of his own village_.

Kakashi paled. He was going to kill the Sandaime Hokage without even _questioning_ it.

Kakashi had immediately run to tattle to his target, confessing the orders he had been given. Hiruzen had dismissed Kakashi from his office and it was only later that Kakashi was informed that Root was once more going to be disbanded. Kakashi was accepted into the regular ANBU corps and Hiruzen kept him close, both trusting he would not betray him, and in order to keep an eye on him. Because Kakashi had shown his hand.

The world went on around him as Kakashi threw himself into changing. He was still serious and followed rules when on a mission, but he arranged his personality around the only person who had ever made Kakashi truly think about the life he led: Uchiha Obito. Kakashi started showing up late to things, using the excuses Obito had been entirely genuine about. He grinned sheepishly behind his face mask, smiling eyes doing all the emotional work he needed. He shaped himself into a new human being and he isn't wasn’t happy about being dragged out of ANBU to become a sensei, but he was not surprised.

His world soon revolved around his genin, the students he wanted to see flourish, and Kakashi found himself close to content. They weren’t his Team 7, not really, though the similarities were there. _A love triangle in the making_ , he couldn’t help but think fondly. _Maybe they'll make it work_ , he thought later, watching them care about each other in a way he had never managed at that age.

They didn’t make it work, of course. Because nobody Kakashi cared about could ever be happy.

After all the pain, the blood, the tears, they were gathered together once more, the second Shinobi war Kakashi had had to fight in, finally over. He watched his students and he felt the burst of emotion that translated to home. That feeling of warmth he had thought he would never feel again erupting in his chest. They had hurt each other, almost beyond repair, but they were here now, a family finally formed.

He hesitated in agreeing to travel back in time, the ever-looming shadow of Obito hanging over his head, but how could he say no to his family? To the boy, almost a man, who had once upon a time saved him by simply smiling at him? Kakashi agreed for his family and fought to keep any uncertainty from staining his facade of confidence.

He wanted to say he was surprised when he ended up in the wrong time, but considering his luck, he couldn’t quite muster the strength. Seeing Danzō's grim visage was an unwelcome sight and hearing that he'd missed the Uchiha massacre by just a few days was almost crippling. He went to Sasuke's hospital room, despondent as he stared down at his unconscious student. _What will he say_ , Kakashi wondered, _when he wakes and finds nothing has been changed at all?_

His musings were interrupted by a nurse and when she mentioned another Uchiha survivor, Kakashi finally admitted that he was in some kind of shocked state. The numbness of overflowing emotions was threatening to overtake him, if only for a moment, when the petite preteen next to him stuttered out a meek, "K-Kakashi-sensei?" and he was greeted with his student's eyes in the wrong body.

When Kakashi asked Sasuke if he knew what was going on, the boy grimaced, the expression on his face odd for such a delicate-looking girl. "Hell if I know," Sasuke replied. "If we can end up in any old body and I'm Izumi and you're Danzō, where the hell, or more importantly _who the hell_ , are the other two?"

Kakashi returned the twisted expression, thoughts racing. If they could be anybody, how on earth would they find them? Was there any correlation to which body they end up in? Was there a reason Sasuke was Izumi and he was Danzō? Kakashi, if he was being honest, was almost afraid to know the answer.

"They'll want you to meet with the council," Kakashi cursed, a scowl set upon his face as he stared down at Sasuke's limp body.

"What? Why?" Sasuke asked, blinking in confusion.

"You were too young to have to deal with it last time," Kakashi started slowly, mind racing. "You only entered the compound after everyone was already dead; Izumi would've been in the compound as it went down."

"She was the first casualty," Sasuke revealed, a dark look crossing his face.

Kakashi pursed his lips at that information, trying to clear his thoughts. Izumi had been considered an adult among shinobi, so she would probably become Sasuke's guardian.

"They'll still want to try and force a guardian on you," Kakashi stressed, doing his best to get his point across. "I don't want you going in there unprepared. Danzō would've been removed from the council by now, disguised as retiring in the face of tragedy. I won't be there to help you, Sasuke. If we're not careful, you could find yourself in a dangerous arrangement."

Sasuke returned his distressed look and they fell into silence, worry eating away at them as they waited for the inevitable shitshow to start.

* * *

**Interlude II: Sakura**

Everyone had nightmares. Sakura was not special because of her frequent night terrors. She knew that Naruto had frequent nightmares featuring a multitude of different subjects. When he was younger, they had featured faceless parents abandoning him and angry villagers no longer holding back their violent ire. They had grown more specific as he grew older, vague people turning into those he cares about. He confessed this to her, after the war, some of the bodies still warm as they just laid on the ground, the fatigue of battle still lingering in their veins.

"I'm scared," he had explained after sharing, "of what my nightmares will look like now."

It turned out Naruto had his first peaceful night of sleep that very night. That feeling of relief and peace after a good night's sleep destroyed the blonde, bringing a newfound wave of guilt that cured his peaceful nights. All Sakura could do was be there, comforting and understanding, as Naruto fell apart under the weight of those he felt responsible for.

Kakashi had once said he never dreamed, but rather his nightmares always seemed to be formed in the waking world. After seeing his face when Obito's identity was revealed, Sakura had finally understood what he meant.

Sasuke, of course, never shared any such sentiments with her. While younger, even if he had had a nightmare in front of her, she didn’t even know if she would've been able to deduce what they were about. She thought he might tell her now if she asked, but she didn’t bother to push. He had nightmares, she knew, because they all did after the war. The blood, the pain, the dragging feeling of hopelessness that had insidiously made its way through the shinobi ranks. Sakura knows more than one person had been awoken from dreams of death and destruction.

Sakura was not special because she had nightmares. She was a little different because of what she had nightmares about. The war had been scary and she knew she was emotionally and mentally scarred in some capacity from it, but she didn’t dream of terrified faces as they burned on the battlefield. No, Sakura's personal nightmares had started years ago, slitted golden eyes looking past her to hungrily take in something behind her that she could never quite see.

Orochimaru was her frequent nightmare companion and it fueled her fear and hatred of the man even now. He could claim to have turned over a new leaf all he wanted, his dry wit and cutting sarcasm even welcomed by some in the desolate camp, but Sakura would not forget what he did to her; to her family. He had tempted Sasuke, tugging and manipulating until the young boy had turned his back on his team and his village, following Orochimaru down a power-hungry path littered with tripwires and dangerous creatures. She would never look at him and think 'he's not half bad'. She would always remember her nightmares after Sasuke had left, the genuine terror rushing through her veins when images of white fingers digging into pale flesh made their way into her dreams.

A rock that had kept her grounded during that time had been her parents. Naruto had been gone on his training trip and Kakashi, while willing enough to see and speak to her if she sought him out, had made no move to return any comradery she might have shown him. Accepting he hadn’t been ready for the companionship he clearly craved, Sakura had trained with Tsunade and dreamed of Orochimaru.

One night, after a particularly gruesome night terror, her father had rushed into her room, his concerned shouts shaking her from a now-forgotten dream. He had rubbed her back gently as she had sobbed into his shoulder, blind terror wracking her body as she shook in his arms.

" _Musume_ ," her father had shushed, rocking back and forth in an attempt to comfort her. "Look at me, 'Kura-chan."

She had shakily shaken her head, tears still streaming from closed eyes.

"Please," her father had begged, "look at me."

She had gulped down a breath, chest quivering heavily, as she finally glanced up to look at familiar pale green eyes.

"It's going to be okay," he had reassured, a hand coming up to pet her tangled locks. "Always remember 'Kura-chan: whenever you feel scared or alone, look into a mirror. I'm always there with you."

She had sniffed, nodding slightly, before she had clung to him once more, wariness hovering over her.

Her father's sentiment, that because they had the same eyes they were always together in spirit, had stuck with her for years. Any time she had felt alone or scared, she would find a mirror and comfort herself with her father's warm gaze.

So when she swam into consciousness, her mind fuzzy, she could only picture their shared eyes in her mind as she froze, tensing uncomfortably. She kept her eyes closed, hesitation wracking her as she did her best to catalog her surroundings without sight. She was a medic-nin, a damn good one at that, so she could immediately tell something was wrong with her body. It felt weird to her, almost unnatural. Sakura, when tensing, could feel her muscles shift and ache, the _stretchiness_ of her muscles apparent in her tense limbs. This amount of power and fluidity in rigid muscles was unfamiliar to her, and she found herself growing childishly scared.

A brief thought entered her head, fear shooting through her veins, before she vehemently dismissed it, not allowing it to form into a full thought. _No_ , she thought incredulously, flexing her hands as she clenched them into fists and then uncurled them. _No, it wasn't possible._

Sakura's eyes sprang open almost unconsciously, a white ceiling in darkness the first thing to greet her vision. She raised herself up, climbing out of the bed she was resting on so fast that she tangled herself up in the bed covers, tripping and falling, her arms coming up just quickly enough to save her from a busted head.

The white arms she saw almost glowed in the darkness around her. Her vision was off, she quickly discovered, as she saw more in the dark than she had any right to. Her ability to smell was weird too, her nose twitching as she took in the various scents in the room. She'd never had this sensitive of a nose. Besides, she thought as panic started to set in, she could just tell from her position that she wasn’t supposed to be this tall at such a young age.

Her lungs expanded and contracted quickly, fear setting in as she untangled herself, eyes searching the room for doors. There were two doors, one in front of the bed and one off to the side, on the other side of the bed from her. Sakura hesitated, glancing at both doors before she went for the one directly across from her. She turned the knob and it was greeted with what looked to be a tiled bathroom floor. She blindly ran her hands against a wall, blinking rapidly and squinting when she found the switch and light flooded the room.

Pale green eyes with slit pupils met her reflection in the mirror, Orochimaru staring back at her in horror. She was frozen, prey staring at the body of a predator, and she could feel herself falling into a panic attack. Dread suffocated her as her eyes, now with narrow pupils, teared up in confusion.

" _What_ ," Orochimaru's voice choked out, slimy and silk smooth, " _happened to me?_ "

* * *

 **I** **nterlude III: Naruto**

Naruto put a lot of stock in familial love.

He didn’t meet his parents until he was a teen, so up to that point, he spent his entire life thinking he had been abandoned while hoping they had passed before their time and that they hadn’t just given him up because of who he was ( _what he was_ ).

Naruto craved attention, whether it was good or bad didn’t matter, so he acted out. He was naturally exuberant, so he just added “obnoxious” to his personality and suddenly he was the loud troublemaker of his age group and he had eyes trained on him. Almost all of them were hostile to some degree, but he didn’t care. He was seen and that was what mattered. He had no parents to see him, so he'd find another way to meet his needs.

When he finally got his headband, still smelling faintly of Iruka-sensei, Naruto felt the first stirrings of love. Naruto had always trusted Iruka to a certain point. He yelled at Naruto a lot, but Naruto also pushed his buttons to get that reaction, so he didn’t blame him. He never hurt Naruto or insulted him. When he said something criticizing to him, he meant it as a way for Naruto to improve and not in a way to destroy confidence. It was not until after Naruto learned what he was, after Iruka showed he was willing to die to protect Naruto, that Naruto stopped seeing Iruka as a sensei and instead saw him as a father-figure. Naruto wouldn’t tell him this, he could just imagine the tears that he would shed during such an emotional conversation, but he really was the father figure Naruto looked up to during his childhood.

It started a chain of events surrounding love and family that Naruto never saw coming.

Joining Team 7 was a trial and he simultaneously loved it and loathed it. Naruto could recognize jealousy in himself, so he was well aware that a part of his rivalry with Sasuke had been caused by that little green emotion. Naruto was charmed by Sakura's looks and he saw the way she sighed as she pined after Sasuke and it caused the little monster to rear its head.

Sasuke had had a lot of things Naruto hadn’t. He’d known what it was like to have a parent love you. Someone to hold you after a nightmare or someone to ask after your day. He’d had a brother, someone to teach him and be a confidant. Naruto had only had himself. The Old Man had shown up occasionally, but it had always felt like he did it to keep a critical eye on Naruto, and not out of any genuine love. Naruto had never felt concern from a relative for his well-being and he envied Sasuke for his fortune.

And then Sasuke's family was gone and Naruto winced at his old bitter thoughts.

They weren’t a family. That was an important detail that Naruto thought about often. When they first started out, they weren’t a family. Kakashi found them all annoying on the best of days, even if he did care for them. Sakura felt frustration for Kakashi, obsession for Sasuke, and disgust for Naruto. Sasuke hated everyone, including them, and their team couldn’t even pretend to like each other, let alone think about being a family.

And then they spent more time together and Kakashi grew softer, Sakura started to include him, and Sasuke's bad attitude towards them all turned to indifference and then grudging fondness. They slipped towards something like comradery. Naruto remembered feeling content.

Then things started to change once more and Naruto got confused. Naruto had never had anyone to explain to him the different kinds of love, though he was starting to pick up on them on his own. The love between a mother and son was different than a husband and wife. Naruto loved Iruka like a father and he was starting to suspect that he might love someone in a more romantic sense. He looked at Sakura and felt a flutter in his chest. He looked at Sasuke and felt an identical flutter. Naruto felt so much and didn’t understand any of it.

It was only after Sasuke had abandoned them and Naruto was on his training trip that he realized the opportunity that has now passed them. Naruto wasn’t always the smartest, especially when it came to his emotions and feelings towards other people, but just this once, he had a stroke of brilliance. He had loved them, his teammates. Sasuke and Sakura were people he believed he could've had a family with. An unorthodox one, sure, but a family nonetheless.

When he returned to Konoha, he took a look at Sakura and while he felt joy at seeing her again, that flutter of potential was so muted it was almost gone. He knew, even if it was at the back of his mind, that their potential as partners was over. It was a sad realization, that the potential of something more had been cut off before it had ever really begun, but Naruto had never let anything keep him down for long, so he smiled and loved them in a different way instead.

The three of them would never exchange vows, but they would make a promise to each other. It took a war and an intolerable death toll, but they all eventually clasped hands, determination in their straight backs as they risked everything to better the world they lived in.

Kakashi was the older brother Naruto always wanted; a troll to the core, though an affectionate one.

Sakura was his sister, her brilliance obvious and her kindness one of her best qualities.

Sasuke, as has been deemed by destiny, was his brother, the yin to his yang. Sasuke was the moon to his sun and they orbited each other in a happy dance.

Naruto the sun, Sasuke the moon, Kakashi a planet, and Sakura the stars.

They were a family, at last, and it proved to Naruto that he had been right to hold the love of a family above all else.

Which is why when he woke up in an unfamiliar room, the air as dry as a desert, he was immediately scared. He was wary and suspicious, sure, but he was mostly scared. Because something was wrong and he was not where he was meant to be. He wasn’t in his old apartment, springing awake to make his way to find Sasuke since he knew the other boy would be with his clan. He wasn’t dragging the amused Uchiha behind him as they went in search of the rest of their family.

No, instead, Naruto was greeted with a Sunagakure ANBU nin appearing in front of him, the shinobi immediately getting on one knee as he bowed his head in respect, an apology spilling from his lips.

"Kazekage-sama," the man said, the gravelly tone of his voice striking Naruto, "please hurry. Gaara is losing control of Shukaku."

 _Well_ , Naruto thinks as he stands, his actions stiff as he moved, _his family was going to kill him because he clearly screwed_ something _up._


	3. II. Sasuke—Interlude VI: Naruto

* * *

****

**II. Sasuke**

"She's too young," Mikotado Homura's stern voice cut in, his unsmiling visage solemn as he addressed the gathered council.

"She's an established shinobi," Aburame Shibi argued stoically on his behalf, the clan head sat in between a grim-faced Nara Shikaku and a scowling Inuzuka Tsume.

Sasuke pinched his lips together, fighting the urge to add his own two cents. Waking up in the past in the wrong body was bad enough. Having to deal with the consequences of being someone else was even worse. Izumi hadn't survived the first time around, so when Sasuke had woken up, there had been no guardian to argue over. He'd been handed over to a therapist and a social worker and then given leave to go home. Sasuke had gone to the therapist a total of two times before he deemed it a waste of time. The social worker he'd been given had been incompetent in young Sasuke's opinion. Looking back, the poor woman had been a civilian social worker. Of course, she wouldn't have known how to handle a child from a prominent clan. Sasuke had eventually stopped contacting her and she had taken the hint; Sasuke had only had to deal with a 'guardian' for a year after the massacre. With Izumi alive, there were now new complications.

Technically speaking, as the oldest Uchiha living in Konoha, Izumi gained custody of both Sasuke and the clan finances. Sasuke, as Izumi, would hold the clan seat on the council as well as be interim clan head, until Sasuke either reached the age of maturity or he successfully became a genin. To the shinobi part of the village, thirteen-year-old Izumi was an adult in their eyes and she was a perfectly capable guardian to Sasuke. To the civilians, who didn't quite understand the life of a shinobi regardless of their close proximity, it was just one child looking after another.

Mikotado and his current partner in crime, Utatane Koharu, should have known better. They had both been shinobi before retiring and becoming part of the council. They had been elected to represent the civilian faction of the village, but they still knew better. Which means they had ulterior motives.

Sasuke grimaced.

"She's only a genin," Utatane brings up, her tone making her disapproval of Izumi clear. Sasuke did his best not to meet her eye.

After seeing Kakashi in Danzō's body. it had immediately become clear that any previous plans had to be scrapped. Neither of them was who they were supposed to be; it was a good bet that Sakura and Naruto were running around as other people as well. Sasuke had suddenly been thrust into the role of caretaker, while Kakashi had to face Danzō's web of deceit. Kakashi had to tackle Root without making anyone suspicious of his activities. Danzō, because of his actions, would've already been dismissed from the council, so Sasuke wasn't going to find an ally in him there.

Currently, the most significant threat to them existed in the aging bodies of Mikotado and Utatane. Danzō's scheming partners and the type of people who wholeheartedly agreed with something as atrocious as the Uchiha Massacre. Sasuke had directed his anger towards Danzō during his rampage because the other two hadn't been the ones to give the orders; they had, however, agreed with them, making them just as disgusting and immoral as Danzō had been. Sasuke wouldn't meet either of their eyes for fear that he wouldn't be able to stop himself from activating his Sharingan and showing them exactly the amount of pain they were willing to put a small child through.

"A genin is an adult in the eyes of the shinobi world," Yamanaka Inoichi piped up, meeting Utatane's look with a stern one of his own. "Uchiha Izumi is Uchiha Sasuke's legal guardian."

"She's too young," Mikotado stressed once more, turning to look at the Sandaime. "Hiruzen, you can't possibly allow this child to fend for both herself and a young, traumatized boy. How is she to defend herself and the boy? I say we assign them a guardian until she can sufficiently prove she can provide for both of them."

Sasuke snorted slightly at the elder's words, rolling his eyes. Even if Sasuke only took D-ranked missions for the rest of his life, the money left over in the Uchiha vaults would keep both him and his younger self in comfort for three lifetimes. The Uchiha clan vaults held money to help the entire clan. _Not to mention_ , Sasuke thought with a grimace, _all of the money each individual clan member would've had for personal reasons_. Most Uchiha were in the shinobi ranks and would pay taxes to both the village and the clan. Civilians did the same, though they had added taxes related to whatever businesses they were involved in. Any money kept in their houses was no longer going to be used by them; if Sasuke really wanted to, he could probably go through everyone's houses and gather together another small fortune.

The Uchiha had always been rather frugal. They purchased the best weapons and battle gear, true. Expensive, yes; but then they carefully took care of them. Thrown kunai were meticulously collected if given the chance. Children were taught how to sew in order to keep their clothes in relatively good shape for a long time. It was a remnant from the Warring States Period when they were fighting the much richer Senju. They had never quite lost their more tight-fisted tendencies when it came to money.

"Are we then going to assign a guardian to every orphan who can't protect themselves?" Akimichi Chōza asked, bringing up a rather valid point.

There were plenty of orphans in Konoha who had to fend for themselves. Hell, look at Naruto: he might have been getting the regulated orphan stipend from the village as a child, but he had had to find his own place to live. Sasuke was only vaguely aware of the details, but he did know that Naruto had had to carefully budget everything in his life. Ramen was his favorite food, but it was also the cheapest instant food there was. Being as disliked as he was, he never kept his money in a civilian-run bank, too scared that they would 'misplace' anything he gave them. Most shinobi clans operated the same way, keeping clan funds within the clan's hands, though civilian born shinobi mostly still opted to use the banks their parents had always used.

The civilian council arguing for the last two Uchiha to be put under a designated guardian was incredibly suspect in Sasuke's opinion.

"Homura," the Sandaime interrupted, ignoring Chōza's pointed question. "Did you have anyone specific in mind? You're rather insistent about something you know better on."

"We simply think that these two have been through enough and that they shouldn't be burdened with too much too soon," Utatane cut in, getting an agreeing nod from Mikotado.

"I believe the two should be put in Shimura Danzō's care," Mikotado replied, his eyes sharp as he confidently revealed his plan to the room.

Sasuke looked up at that, eyes boring into the side of the Sandaime's head. Mikotado and Homura knew damn well that not even two weeks ago Danzō ordered the entire Uchiha clan to be exterminated. For them to suggest that Izumi and Sasuke be put under his care was an atrocity. They knew the truth and yet they wanted to hand over seemingly innocent children to that complete sociopath. Sasuke's mood darkened, venomous words on his tongue, when he paused, considering.

Danzō was gone. Sasuke blinked at that, fighting back the urge to grunt in surprise. Kakashi was currently occupying Danzō's body, which meant that if they were put under Danzō's care, they would be dealing with an ally and not the enemy that the body's original occupant was. In fact, Sasuke realized, it would give them a damn good excuse to be seen interacting. They wouldn't have people wondering why one of the Uchiha survivors was so close to someone like _Shimura Danzō_.

"Homura," the Sandaime repeated, but there was a chastisement in his voice, an incredulous look in his eye that was quickly hidden away.

"Danzō-san?" Sasuke cut in, careful to make his younger sounding voice hesitant and vulnerable.

"Do you know him?" Shikaku spoke up, giving Sasuke a sharp look when he hesitantly nodded.

"He visited me and Sasuke in the hospital," Sasuke started off slowly, bringing his voice up from the shy whisper he had started with. "He was very kind."

The Hokage visibly grimaced for half a second, a flash of regret quickly hidden away before anyone else looked in his direction. "You don't have to accept a guardian," the Sandaime told him, looking at him with an imploring gaze. "You are legally an adult."

"I want Danzō-san's help," Sasuke replied, biting his lip to stop a sneer from forming. He could see it in the way Sarutobi's shoulders hunched and in the way he closed his eyes for just a second too long to be a blink; he would agree to Mikotado and Utatane's demands. He would ignore the advice of his entire clan council. He would hand the last two Uchiha over to the man who helped orchestrate their family's demise. Sasuke felt hatred boil in his gut as he met the older man's eyes, smiling shyly up at him. This man, this _weak, miserable man_ , was _pathetic_. If Sasuke had really been ignorant, if he hadn't come back and ended up in Izumi's body, he would be sentencing two innocents to pay the price for a crime that never happened. He would let an innocent Izumi trust a man that had ordered the boy she loved to kill her and her family.

Sasuke vowed to make it a point to get the man out from under the hat as soon as possible; he didn't deserve it.

"Why don't you head on back to the hospital and see how Sasuke is doing?" Sarutobi said gently, a kind smile on his face. "I'm sure you'll want to be there when he finally wakes up."

"Yes, Hokage-sama," Sasuke nodded, standing and bowing after the clear dismissal. Several of the clan heads looked weary at Sasuke's new predicament, some of them knowing full well that Danzō shouldn't be as trusted as he was. Sasuke thought about the clan members they had lost to Danzō's clutches and he silently made a vow as he exited the meeting room.

He would do everything in his power to help Kakashi uproot the poison that Danzō had spilled into the foundation of Konoha.

**III. Sasuke**

Sasuke was idly looking out the window, trying to get used to his new depth perception, when there was a rustling of sheets behind him. His heart skipped a beat at the sound and he whipped his head around, clocking onto the shifting body laying on the bed.

"S-Sasuke?" he stuttered out, feeling awkward at addressing someone else with his name. In retrospect, it was going to get weird fast referring to himself as Sasuke and his younger version as Sasuke. With a mental note, he resigned himself to having to answer to Izumi instead of Sasuke. He'd have to work on it. For now, he'd just refer to his younger self as Sasu. Izumi had used it once or twice, so it wouldn’t be too out of character.

The younger boy let out a sort of hissing whimper, his eyes squeezing tightly shut as his hands balled up into fists, the white hospital sheets caught in his grasp.

"Hey, it's alright," Sasuke tried to soothe, wincing because he knew damn well that it wasn't. He had once laid on that bed, fighting his way to consciousness as Itachi's cold voice spoke cruel words on repeat. He knew this younger version of himself was experiencing hell as he pushed his way into opening his eyes, into getting the first glimpse of what life was like now that everyone he had once cared for was gone.

"Aniki!" was the cry that escaped the younger Sasuke's lips as he shot up in his bed, tears streaming from his wide eyes as he sobbed loudly, his breathing loud and wet as he stared at Sasuke.

"Hey," Sasuke said awkwardly, hesitantly approaching the crying boy's bedside.

The younger Sasuke flinched at his voice, wild eyes staring at him with something akin to fear. Sasuke winced at the sight, stopping his approach before he startled the kid too badly. He remembered waking up alone, terrified and confused as he cried for his older brother. It had taken several minutes for him to stop hyperventilating, the realization that he was crying out for his clan's murderer falling upon him. He had been a mess for days after waking up, crying and screaming as the devastation he faced registered fully. He hadn't had anyone come to visit him those first delicate days, alone except for a nurse who came with his food and the single doctor that explained to him exactly what had happened since he had been unconscious. He would eventually grow numb enough to be released, only forced to see his therapist and social worker.

Sasuke had grown volatile the longer he had been left alone, the anger at his circumstances festering until all he could think about was avenging his clan. Sasuke had fallen to the Uchiha Curse of Hatred so easily. He was determined that Sasu wouldn't go down such a dark and lonely path.

"Sasu-k un," Sasuke states with as much confidence as he could muster, approaching calmly, making sure to keep his hands in Sasu's line of sight. The boy was still sobbing, though his attention was firmly on Sasuke. He didn't flinch again, though his eyes were still wide and glassy looking. "Hey, Sasu-kun, it's okay, you're alright," Sasuke assured him, finally standing at his bedside and carefully uncurling his fingers from their tight clench on the bed sheets.

"A-Aniki, h-he—," the younger boy stuttered out, his tight grip transferring to Sasuke's hand.

"I know," Sasuke cuts him off, not letting the boy say what he was thinking. "I know, Sasu-kun."

His younger self just cried after that, finally letting go of his blanket completely, both hands now grasping tightly onto Sasuke's person. Sasuke lets him, encouraging the distraught boy to wrap his arms around his neck, letting his small body curl into his. Sasuke suddenly found himself forced to hold back his own tears, memories colliding with the present as he was reminded once more of his own journey through grief.

It took close to an hour before the younger boy's sobs started to wane, exhaustion overwhelming the tired boy. He fell asleep in Sasuke's arms, hands clenching tightly to the bottom of Sasuke's purple shirt. He positioned him so he's laying on the bed, but he didn't try to extract himself from the tight grasp.

"I forgot," Sasuke said lowly, his voice just above a whisper, "what it was like to wake up and know my entire world had ended."

A firm hand landed on his shoulder, Kakashi a comforting presence as he stood somberly behind Sasuke.

"I can't know the magnitude of losing an entire clan," Kakashi stated darkly, Danzō's rumble-y tone making Sasuke twitch slightly, "but I do know what it's like to lose family. My father was all I had and when he—when he killed himself, I was alone. There was Minato-sensei, of course, but...it's not quite the same to a child who loses a parent."

Sasuke sniffed slightly, fighting back tears as he hung his head, leaning back into the chair. Grief was different for everyone, but Sasuke found himself grateful that Kakashi can relate, even if it's was only a little. They both saw their parents' dead bodies, realization and horror ripping through their veins as they were forced to grow up far too quickly. Both of them were considered prodigies in their own ways, both of them holding the burden of a taboo past. Kakashi had to deal with the unwanted attention that came from being the White Fang's son, and Sasuke had to deal with being the last Uchiha, never being able to answer the whispered questions of why it was him that survived that night. Naruto was in a similar boat, orphaned from the day he was born, but it was different. As harsh as it sounded, Naruto wasn't forced to remember his parents being cut down in front of him. Their misfortune wasn't a contest, but there was a difference that Sasuke and Kakashi were intimately familiar with.

"We need to figure out what went wrong," Sasuke muttered, refusing to break down into tears. He was almost an adult and here he was crying like a child. Frankly, they didn't have time to mourn the past, not when they were _living it_. They had to regroup and figure out a new plan of action; Sasuke needed to get his hands on Naruto so he could strangle the idiot.

"I'm going to strangle Naruto when we find him," Sasuke told Kakashi, bitterly sharing his thoughts as he gently ran his fingers through Sasu's hair. "I'll try to let go before he dies, but I make no promises."

Kakashi snorted slightly, a reluctant smile making its way onto Danzō's wrinkled face. "I would usually be all for strangulation, but I don't know if it was actually Naruto's fault."

Sasuke looked up sharply, eyeing Kakashi as he paused his petting. "What do you mean?" Sasu grumbled slightly when Sasuke tensed, a discontent frown falling onto his face. Sasuke quickly resumed the ministrations, absentmindedly humming in comfort even while he stared at Kakashi.

"Something went wrong while we were in the time stream," Kakashi explained, shuffling closer and taking a seat in the chair Sasuke had previously vacated. "I went over that seal just as much as Naruto did; it was airtight. We should be exactly where we wanted to be; not here—not after the massacre, and certainly not in the _wrong bodies_."

"So what went wrong?" Sasuke asked, knowing that Kakashi didn't have an answer. Sasuke pursed his lips, the memory of the journey causing his right eyes to twitch. Something had definitely gone wrong while they were going back in time, and Sasuke thinks he might know what contributed to it. His Eternal Mangekyou Sharingan had felt like lava was running through it. He'd let go of Sakura's, breaking the circle they had once formed, but he has a gut feeling that the attempted seal had already gone wrong long before Sasuke let go.

"My eyes," Sasuke started slowly, trying to remember all of the details from their brief journey as he could, "did something while the seal was activated. My Rinnegan burned a bit, nothing too bad, but my Sharingan burned so bad I wanted to tear my own eye out of my socket. I also let go of Sakura's hand at one point."

Kakashi frowned at that, his hand coming up to touch where Obito's Sharingan had once been. "I don't have a Sharingan anymore, so I don't know if that had anything to do with it, but it sure sounds like it. What came first: the eye pain or breaking the circle?"

"The eye pain," Sasuke responded immediately, grimacing slightly at the phantom pain the thoughts produced. " _Definitely_ the eye pain. I was so thrown off that I didn't even think about it before I let go of Sakura's hand to clutch at my eye."

"Is there anything in the Uchiha archives that mentions the Sharingan having any hidden properties?" Kakashi asked, grasping at some idea that Sasuke can't see. "The Sharingan gives the wielder the ability of enhanced perception. You have increased speed and you can easily predict moves, so well in fact, that it looks like you already know them. Is it a stretch that the Sharingan might have some untapped time properties? How studied is the Eternal Mangekyou Sharingan, anyway?"

"It isn't," Sasuke replied, his mind racing. "Madara had his, of course, so he was able to find the hidden writing on the sekihi. I saw it and I'm pretty sure Itachi saw some parts of it as well. The clan didn't really get to study the effects because no one _had_ the Eternal Mangekyou Sharingan. Madara was an outlier and as soon as he deciphered it, he went psycho and abandoned the village."

"Is there any advanced form past what you have? Is there a possibility that there's still more of the sekihi that hasn't been seen yet?"

Sasuke opened his mouth to deny that train of thought before he stopped, brought up short as he actually focused on what Kakashi was saying. There weren't any further forms of the Sharingan, was there? Surely Madara would've achieved that simply to make himself stronger. The only eye that holds more significance that Sasuke can think of is—

"The Rinnegan," Sasuke whispered in shock, his eyes widening. "Madara read the sekihi before he left the village, which means he never actually saw it when he had his Rinnegan. There could be more written that only a Rinnegan could see!"

Excitement coursed through Sasuke's veins, a new sense of purpose filling him. All he had to do was get to the Naka Shrine and once more make his way to the room where the sekihi was stored. Then maybe he could get some answers on what exactly went wrong with their time travel misadventure.

It should be easy.

"I-Izumi?" Sasu's voice broke through Sasuke's elated thoughts and his visions of ease cracked and shattered. Nothing would be easy, especially not when he had to be responsible for a younger version of himself.

"Sasu-kun," Sasuke cooed, doing his best to imitate Sakura when she talked to younger children. "How are you feeling?"

"It w-wasn't a nightmare, was it?" Sasu asked, his eyes rimmed red as he looked up at Sasuke. "I-Itachi really—he really...," Sasu trailed off, a hiccuping sob ripping its way from his throat and Sasuke was once more handling an armful of a sobbing child.

Sasuke made eye contact with Kakashi and gave him a sharp nod, letting the man know he would get it done. Kakashi nodded and turned, leaving the room to let the two Uchiha mourn in peace. He would have to visit the pair of them to 'officially' introduce him to Sasu as their new guardian, but for now, it would just be an empty room, save for the two massacre survivors of an almost extinct clan.

* * *

**Interlude IV: Kakashi**

Kakashi left Sasuke to comfort his younger self, both uncomfortable with the charged feelings in the room and with the fact that he was currently wearing the body of the man who had been one of the major contributing factors to said pain. He'd come back to the room later, once Sasuke calmed himself down, and then he would go about introducing himself to the younger version of his student. For now, Kakashi would get back to planning what he had been doing while Sasuke was meeting with the two councils: trying to find a way to disband Root.

The Sandaime had already ordered the organization to be dissolved, though all Danzō had done before Kakashi took over was take the organization into hiding. Kakashi knew the general location of the hidden complex that housed the agents, as well as several of the shinobi's identities, but that wouldn't actually get him that far.

Danzō had had his fingers in so many different pies, all over the world, that it would be difficult to weed out all the missions he would have to cancel and all the agents he would have to recall. He would have to come up with some reason for why he had suddenly changed his mind and decided to follow the Hokage's orders when he originally ignored them.

 _First_ , he thought as he made his way out of the hospital and down a busy road, _he would have to find Sai_. The younger man was just a child at this point, newly instated to Root. The teen wouldn't have gone through that much training yet, which means that some of his original personality should still be intact. Plus, his brother would still be alive at this point; hopefully that would help him hang onto the humanity he had forgotten for so long.

They had had to leave the sardonic teen behind in the future, but that didn't mean that Kakashi was willing to let him suffer in their new present. He wasn't part of the original Team 7, but he was part of their family nonetheless. Sai had been with them for so much in such a short amount of time. His kohai was in a similar situation; Tenzō had been a part of Kakashi's life for years, but it was only recently that he had been a part of Team 7. Both of them were struggling in this time period and Kakashi would hate himself if he didn't do anything to help them out.

Tenzō had escaped from Danzō's control a year or two ago, but that didn't mean that he was healed from his time with the other man. He had suffered under Orochimaru and then been immediately put under Danzō's tutelage; he had never had any time to just _breathe_. While he was safer now, the Kakashi of this time period was nowhere near stable enough to really help anyone back on their feet. He would make an attempt for Tenzō's sake, but he wouldn't really succeed all that much. Now Kakashi not only had the opportunity to do it, but the major threat that lay in the village was eliminated without any need for them to interfere.

"Danzō-sama," an agent greeted him as soon as he walked into Danzō's house. The agent bowed deeply, no emotion in his voice as he welcomed his superior home. Though the mask the manwas wearing hid his face, Kakashi could clearly see the long auburn hair that was pulled into a high pony-tail. Tsunade had made a point to go through some of the old Root files after Danzō's death and she had recruited Kakashi to help her. When he was part of Root he hadn't known this man's name, but now he had much better information. Yamanaka Fū rose from his bow, his mask unblemished and blank as he awaited his leader's orders.

"Send out an announcement: I want every Root member within fifty kilometers to congregate in alpha base's main chamber. Something urgent has come up and all are to be informed of it."

Any other shinobi would have questioned why so many people were needed for an announcement, but Fū simply bowed, accepting Kakashi's instructions.

"Also," Kakashi added as he walked past the other man, "tell Saru to gather every file on the youngest recruits; those from ages one to fifteen. I want them hand-delivered to me in no more than an hour."

"Yes, Danzō-sama," Fū replied before the man was gone, leaving Kakashi alone as he made his way through the house.

He hadn’t been in Danzō's personal home in a good decade, but he still remembered the way to the man's office, where Root agents could get in contact with him when he wasn't hidden away in Root's underground complex. The office was impeccable, not an inch of dust anywhere in sight, and Kakashi gently sat down, a grimace gracing Danzō's lips when he heard his knees pop.

Kakashi could admit that he had felt, not old, but not as young as he once was. All he could think about after the war was finally over was how ready he was to retire. He wouldn't have had the chance to, of course, not with the way Tsunade had been determined to make him the next Hokage, but it had been a persistent thought that kept popping up late at night. He could admit now, though, that he hadn't really realized what old was. Kakashi's body had been worn down and tired, sure, but Danzō's was even _worse_. The man was no pushover, power wise, as evidenced by his ability to fight Sasuke, but he was in no way in his prime. His joints ached and his back made it almost impossible to keep a dignified, straight posture. Kakashi wouldn't doubt it if one of the reasons the man was always so grumpy was because he was in a constant, vague sort of pain. It made Kakashi wonder about the Sandaime, but before he could really think about it, Saru appeared before him.

Aburame Torune was currently infiltrating as the ANBU agent Saru, rather effectively if Kakashi remembers correctly.

"Danzō-sama," Torune announced himself, bowing exactly like Fū had, no emotions in his voice.

"Leave the files on my desk," Kakashi said, waving the other man away with a gruff scoff. Torune followed the instructions exactly, bowing once more before he exited the room, closing the door securely behind him.

Kakashi would have to go through all of the files before him, would have to find some way to get a support system set up for all of the children that have been under Danzō's abysmal care, but for now, he simply opened each one long enough to catch a glimpse at the pictures paper-clipped to the front of every report.

He found Sai after looking through almost half of the files, disgusted at how young each child was. He knew, logically, that Sai wasn't actually the boy's name: it had been given to him for the purposes of infiltrating Team 7. Still, nothing had prepared him for seeing Sai's picture next to the name _Uchiha Seiichi_.

Kakashi stared at the report, his mind shocked into blankness as he tried to process the information. It had been a joke, how closely Sai resembled Sasuke. Dark hair, pale skin, dark eyes. There were plenty of people, not just the Uchiha, who fit that description. Sai had never manifested the Sharingan, so how was anyone supposed to know he was an Uchiha? Skimming quickly until he reached Sai's blood relatives, he carefully took in the information.

_Father: Uchiha Hibiki (Deceased), Mother: Saitō Yua (Deceased), Aunt: Uchiha Hazuki (Deceased), Cousin: Uchiha Izumi (Alive)_

Kakashi blinked, staring down at the innocent kanji that linked Sai to Sasuke's new body. Kakashi carefully closed the file, letting out a sigh as exhaustion started to hit him. Clearly, even though they had believed something to be simple, there was always a shocking revelation waiting to reveal itself to them.

Resigning himself to a long night, Kakashi once more opened Sai's file and settled in, determined to learn as much about the boy that might still be able to be Uchiha Seiichi.

* * *

**Interlude V: Sakura**

Sakura was tense and incredibly uncomfortable as she meandered about Orochimaru's bedroom. The room was gently lit now that she'd found the light switch, but it still held an ominous air to her, the shadows in the room making her feel twitchy and paranoid.

There were plenty of reasons why she was scared of being in this exact situation. Seeing Orochimaru when she looked in the mirror was like a nightmare come true. Sakura had always known how outsiders saw Team 7; Sasuke as Orochimaru, Naruto as Jiraiya, and Sakura as Tsunade. They weren’t wrong, for the most part, as each of them had adopted and modified the training they received from their perspective sensei.

Sasuke was far more blunt than Orochimaru's pretty lies, but there was a slipperiness to him that has become ingrained; always avoiding answering questions he had no intention of addressing. Naruto was kinder than Jiraiya had ever been, but there was a calculating gleam in his eyes when he was serious, a sense that he was weighing his options more than he ever had before. Sakura herself was never going to be dependent on alcohol like her shishou, but she had learned how to hide her true feelings behind a blustering attitude and a false naivety.

The outsider perception about them wasn't wrong and Sakura was sure that the others in Team 7 thought something similar to everyone else. Sakura, however, was blessed to know the unfortunate truth.

Sasuke, while not a pervert, dealt in secrets and manipulation much like Jiraiya did with his spy network. Naruto might have picked up several of the man's tactics, but it was Sasuke who would always be the silent observer of the group. Naruto, on the other hand, was far more like Tsunade than Sakura could ever be. He created bonds with the people around him and then was destroyed when something happened to them. If Naruto's will had been any weaker than it was, Sakura didn't doubt that the devastating blow of Sasuke leaving might have broken him. Tsunade had collapsed under the fracturing of her own love, while Naruto had learned to love more fiercely than ever before.

That, unfortunately, left Sakura as the Orochimaru of the group. It was awful to think about, and Sakura grimaced because that was what she was doing, but she truly was the odd one out of the group. Tsunade and Jiraiya, always dancing around each other. Naruto and Sasuke, always chasing after the other in order to keep even. Then there was Sakura and Orochimaru, the third wheel in the Team 7 dynamic. Orochimaru, whose morals didn't exist. Sakura, who pretended not to be fascinated by the darker side of medical ninjutsu. Sakura was the Orochimaru of the group because she was the last student of Team 7 left in the village. She was the Hokage's student, the prodigy that had surpassed her teacher.

The only difference between her and Orochimaru was that she found a moral line and never crossed it. Orochimaru had taken a running leap and vaulted over it without a care in the world.

Sakura shifted, frowning at the dark truth her thoughts presented. She didn't have time to ponder on her similarities with the man whose body she was occupying; instead, she needed to find a way to get out of this situation.

Glancing around, her eyes zeroed in on the closet located on the right side of the bed. Orochimaru, _thankfully_ , wore thin bedclothes to sleep in. If Sakura planned on ever leaving his bedroom, she needed to actually get dressed. When she opened the closet, she flinched back. She scolded herself, embarrassed at her reaction to Orochimaru's familiar uniform. The plain garb , along with dark pants and that ugly purple rope, hung offensively in front of her. There were multiple uniforms all organized in front of her, each pressed and professional looking. Every shinobi carried multiple articles of the same clothing, as their job was very destructive to clothing. It was honestly a toss-up on what shinobi spent more money on: clothes or weapons.

Eyes catching on a bright color among dull ones, Sakura moved past the memory inducing outfits and instead fished out a silky smooth fabric, eyebrows raising as she took in the rather busy pattern that decorated the fabric. Sakura had never seen Orochimaru wear anything as bright and patterned as this fabric was, though that didn't surprise her.

The montsuki was in no way the usual formal black, but rather an obnoxious bright sky blue with rather complicated patterns that suspiciously resembled snakes. The design had several different blues, as well as purples, swirling throughout the pattern. Underneath was a plain white under-kimono. There was a more traditional pair of black hakama draped over the hanger, the trousers slipped neatly within the confines of the outer layer surrounding it. Sakura debated with herself, her eyes flickering over to Orochimaru's usual outfit before she pulled out the bright one in her grasp. She had no idea why Orochimaru had the outfit, but she couldn't bring herself to dress like the man, regardless of the fact that she _was_ currently said man.

She avoided looking in any reflective surface, not wanting to see Orochimaru staring back at her. She especially made sure not to see anything when putting on the trousers. No need to feed her nightmares. A quick search on the bottom of the closet revealed straw zori with white tabi socks tucked neatly under their straps. Slipping those on took no time at all and finally, Sakura was dressed and forced to turn towards the door she now knew was the exit to the bedroom she'd sequestered herself in.

She put it off, instead turning inward to try and think of a plan. She knew that she was going to encounter something disturbing on the other side of that door. There were clues that she'd put off putting together until now, but she had to face them. The youth in Orochimaru's features was a clue, though, with the way the man continued to escape death, it was not the most important one. Another clue was the fact that Sakura had woken up in a room that very clearly belonged to said man when as far as she knew, camp rumor put Orochimaru as bunking down with Tsunade, though Sakura had done her best to never be in her shishou's tent, just in case there had been any truth to that rumor. If Sakura had ended up in his body, she _should've_ woken up in the said tent. The most important clue, however, was the fact that their attempt at time travel throws things all out of whack.

Sakura was forced to admit to herself that not only was she in Orochimaru's body, but she was also probably in his body in the _past_ , which was a trip to think about.

She didn't know what had gone wrong, not exactly, just the brief feeling of a build-up of pressure before a hand slipped from hers, but clearly something significant had happened. Sakura wasn't sure what she would find on the other side of that door, but it couldn't be anything pleasant. If she truly was in the past, and the jutsu had worked at least halfway, then she suddenly had to deal with the unforeseen circumstances of Orochimaru's ilk. There was no guarantee that she'd even invaded Orochimaru's body in the time period they were aiming for; her body wasn't right, so what guaranteed the time was?

She needed to get herself through the door and find out _where_ and _when_ she was. She needed to find her team and completely change their plan of attack. As she shivered slightly at the idea of leaving the room, she also acknowledged the fact that she needed to _get out_ of Orochimaru's body. She didn't want to be here and if there was anyone with the knowledge on how to jump out of a body, it would be Orochimaru. The man wasn't here, but his notes must be lying around somewhere. With Sakura's intimate knowledge of the body, surely she could find a way to escape her confines without hurting or killing someone.

Resigning herself to her fate, Sakura pulled open the door and stepped carefully out of the little safety it held.

* * *

**Interlude VI: Naruto**

Naruto was stiff as he followed the ANBU shinobi out of the room and down a hallway, both of them going at a brisk pace. Naruto was tempted to run, to try and find his way out of the building, but he didn't know where he was in Sunagakure, nor did he know how to work the body he was in. Because he could try to ignore the fact that he was three inches taller than he was supposed to be, and maybe even ignore how differently his body was built. He couldn't really ignore the ANBU shinobi that kept glancing back at him, worried and panicky as he tried to pick up the sedate pace Naruto had set.

Naruto, in a twisted set of circumstances, had somehow ended up in Rasa's body. He was currently the Yondaime Kazekage, whose son was being assaulted by the one-tailed bijū, Shukaku.

Gaara.

Naruto picked up the pace, adjusting as fast as he could to the heavier body he was occupying. There was a significant weight difference between Naruto's original body and the sturdier body that a grown man has and Naruto had to adjust as he finally started to run, keeping up with the ANBU in front of him. It was difficult; Naruto felt incredibly uncomfortable and he was continually conscious of the fact that he wasn't in the right body.

The Sunagakure ANBU led him out of the building and into the starry night, the chill of the desert leaving goosebumps on his skin. He shivered even as he ran, following the shinobi even though now that he was trying, he could actually sense the angry chakra Shukaku was leaking all over the place. Naruto almost stumbled as they draw closer, the abrasive chakra a shock when he had just started growing used to Kurama's newly friendly chakra.

 _Kurama_.

Naruto did stop this time, staring blankly ahead as a fully released Shukaku screamed into the sky. He felt panic set in quickly, a choking sound exiting his mouth as he frantically reached inside of himself. This wasn't Naruto's body, there wasn't any seal to keep Kurama inside him, but Naruto still searched because he couldn't even give voice to his fears.

To the idea that now that he'd finally gained Kurama, he had subsequently lost him.

Naruto searched, frantic, and could only let out a relieved breath when he felt the stirring of Kurama's chakra within his gut. There was an echo in his mind like Kurama was trying to speak to him, but the brush of chakra he felt was weak and incredibly _tired_. Kurama was stuck in this situation with him and he'd have to let that be enough for now. Kurama couldn't help him at the moment, so it was up to Naruto to deal with their current situation.

With that in mind, Naruto finally focused on Shukaku and the destruction the bijū was causing. More ANBU had fallen in at his side and they waited anxiously for Naruto to give them orders, all of them watching in horror as Shukaku made his way from the outskirts of the village walls to the more populated center.

Naruto could guess how this ended the first time. It took a powerful shinobi to take down a bijū, even the one-tailed Shukaku. Rasa would've had to use a significant amount of force to get Shukaku knocked out in order for Gaara to reemerge as the dominant mind.

Naruto had a different method.

"Stay here unless I signal for you," Naruto stated harshly, trying his best to sound as stern as he always imagined Gaara's father would be. Naruto didn't know any of the Sunagakure signals, but he knew himself well enough to doubt he'd use them even if he did. Naruto took a moment to create a clone and sent him off down into the barren streets. He hoped that none of the ANBU tried to question what kind of clone it was because it was very clearly not a doton clone. He just had to hope that they were more terrified of Gaara and Shukaku than they were observant.

"Shukaku," Naruto said as soon as he gets close enough, his back straight as the ichibi turned to face him, an angry snarl on his face. "I think that's enough."

Shukaku roared at him, a crazed gleam in his eyes as he reared back to attack Naruto.

"Gaara," Naruto continued, ignoring the charging bijū, "it's time to wake up, son."

Naruto had never met Rasa, only had stories of the man before his death. Only knew as much as any shinobi was willing to talk about after the Yondaime Kazekage was resurrected with his predecessors. Naruto didn't need to meet the man to know how out of character Naruto's actions were for Rasa. Rasa had been cruel and harsh with his youngest son, blaming him for his beloved wife's death, sealing a bijū inside of him with a shoddy seal.

Naruto's entire strategy was based on the fact that he was not acting like Rasa would.

Shukaku was still poised to attack, but even in his crazed state, Naruto's words were suspicious.

"It's time to stop this," Naruto continued on, Rasa's voice strong, but soft, as he addressed both Shukaku and the unconscious boy inside of him. "I won't allow this to continue."

" **_Finally learned how to act like a father_ ** _?_ " Shukaku's high pitched voice echoed, the grumble shaking the ground slightly as he sneered down at Naruto. " **_You want to save the son you never cared for?_ **"

"I want to save both of you," Naruto corrected, looking Shukaku in the eye. "I don't want you to suffer any more than I want Gaara to."

Shukaku very clearly didn't believe him, a scratching scoff escaping him, but before he could do much of anything, the clone Naruto had created earlier caught him off guard, the seal in his hand slapping loudly against Shukaku's right arm. The ichibi let out a scream of surprise, shock written across his face, before his oppressive chakra started to dwindle away. Shukaku didn't have much time to do anything besides turn to stare at Naruto in confusion before he was gone, once more sealed away into Gaara.

His clone dispersed and Naruto was left alone with an incredibly tiny version of his future friend. The black under Gaara's eyes was just as vivid as in the future, and Naruto felt a pang of sadness travel up his spine. Gaara was so young, just a little kid, and he'd been struggling far more than Naruto did at his age. Naruto might have been ostracized, but he had a stable seal and ignorance on his side. Gaara had been tormented on all sides, constantly bombarded by the village's unfair expectations and Shukaku's slowly spreading madness.

"Kazekage-sama?" a hesitant voice asked, a different ANBU dropping down next to him.

Naruto glanced at them, taking a moment to identify the shinobi. Though Naruto had never seen Yashamaru in person, Gaara had been willing enough to tell Naruto about the man his father had sent to test him. According to Gaara, the man had looked a lot like his mother. Yashamaru had tried to understand Gaara's plight when no one else would. If Naruto played his cards right, he could get the man's help for what he had planned.

"Please retrieve Gaara and meet me in my office. There's something I wish to discuss with you."

"Should we take Gaara to a medic?" Yashamaru asked politely, ever careful not to seem rude. Naruto felt bitterness towards Rasa at this, had to wonder just how careful Yashamaru had to be in his goal of trying to love Gaara.

"Take him to my office," Naruto grunted back. "I'll be along shortly."

Yashamaru followed his orders, a tightness to his mouth giving away his displeasure at Naruto's orders. Naruto understood and didn't blame him. He didn't know that Naruto was the answer to their problems, that Naruto could help Gaara more than anyone else in the village could.

He waited for Yashamaru to leave before he looked out at the damage Shukaku’s impromptu release had caused. Naruto didn't know the protocol of fixing a village, especially one that was not Konoha. He would need to search Rasa's office to try and find anything on how to run a village. Naruto was wrong-footed and unprepared for the task he was about to embark on, but he couldn't just leave. He couldn't try and strike out on his own, in search of the rest of his family. Naruto had made a promise to Gaara before he left; if Naruto ran off with Rasa's body, then there was no hope of keeping his promise. He had to help Gaara and then he could try and figure out what had gone wrong with his seal.

Naruto used his ability to sense Shukaku in order to find his way back to Rasa's office. He kept a stony frown on his face as he stalked down the halls ordering several ANBU to start preparing for repairs in the village. He couldn't give any more detailed instructions, so he dismissed them as he entered the room where Gaara's chakra signature rested.

He also needed to find a map of some sort; he couldn't always track down Gaara to find his way around. He needed to know how the village worked if he was going to pull this off. He grimaced at the idea, not looking forward to it in the slightest.

"Kazekage-sama," Yashamaru greeted stiffly, Gaara's young body still cradled in his arms. "I really think we should take Gaara to see a medic."

"He doesn't need a medic," Naruto dismissed with a shake of his head, closing the door behind him. He approached swiftly and snatched an inkpot and brush off of the desk in front of them. He tested the ink briefly, making sure it was of quality and able to conduct chakra, before he turned to a confused Yashamaru. "He needs a new seal."

"Kazekage-sama?" Yashamaru stuttered out, his grip on Gaara tightening slightly.

"I've been in contact with a seal master," Naruto lied, coming closer to kneel before the pair before him. "Not giving him a real seal was a mistake on our part. He can't control the ichibi without an anchor. I've found him one."

"And you know how to do this? You were taught how?" Yashamaru rushed out, tensing as Rasa lifted Gaara's shirt to gain access to his stomach.

"Sure," Naruto appeased him, ignoring the fact that he was about to write a seal to contain a bijū off the top of his head. "How hard can it be?"

With that said, Naruto got to work, pointedly ignoring Yashamaru's worried gaze. He couldn't get distracted. He had to stay focused.

Naruto had made a promise, and when he did that, he kept it.


	4. IV. Sasuke—Interlude IX: Naruto

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**IV. Sasuke**

"Do you have everything?" Sasuke asked softly, his touch gentle as he rested his hand on Sasu's head.

The younger boy nodded slightly, silent as he hid his face in Sasuke's stomach. Sasu hadn’t spoken in several days, the only indication of his distress being his tear-filled eyes and desolate stare. He hadn’t made any attempt to open up to Sasuke, but he had been clinging to Sasuke since he woke up. Every time someone would come into Sasu's room, he would latch onto Sasuke and watch the intruder with a deeply suspicious gaze. It hurt Sasuke to think about it, to see himself go through this entire process all over again, so he did his best to simply be there for his younger self. Comforting words could only go so far, especially when they were as fumbled and hesitant as Sasuke's, but they did seem to be helping the younger boy somewhat.

"And you're sure you want to stay on the clan grounds? I know you haven't met him yet, but I’m sure Danzō-sama could get us a new apartment," Sasuke asked once more, though he already knew the answer Sasu would give. 

He had chosen to stay in the clan compound in his original timeline if only to escape everybody that had followed him around. It was considered incredibly taboo for someone who wasn't an Uchiha to enter the grounds even before the massacre. Afterward, if someone had entered, it would have been considered an offense bad enough for physical retaliation. Sasuke had escaped the eyes that tracked him by staying in the compound and he imagined that Sasu felt like he was doing the same.

Sasu hadn't voiced his desire to stay in his house, but the second Sasuke had mentioned their new guardian and new living situation, the boy's eyes had gone wide with panic. So much was changing so quickly and it could be incredibly overwhelming for someone as young as Sasu; Sasuke could attest to it. Sasu would have to meet Danzō at some point, especially so he could understand that if Sasuke was out of commission he could only trust Danzō, but both Sasuke and Kakashi had made the decision to keep the meeting for after they had returned to their compound; less chance of anyone overhearing something they shouldn't. Kakashi might be running around as Danzō, but that didn't mean there weren't any others, specifically Zetsu, that could possibly be listening in.

"I want to go home," Sasu whispered, breaking his almost week-long silence.

"Alright then," Sasuke replied, nudging Sasu forward. "Let's go home."

It was disconcerting to see doctors and nurses stop as they walked by, gawkers watching after them as they both refused to meet anyone's eyes. Sasuke kept his head high, gaze forward, while Sasu stared intently at the ground, tucked closely to Sasuke's side. Their release papers had been filled out and filed, so no one attempted to stop them as they left the hospital and made their way out into the cool, late evening air. Staying in the hospital for another week, simply for observation, had been a pain the first time around. The staff had been looking at Sasuke's mental health, trying to see if he had been traumatized in such a way that couldn’t physically be seen, but he had been convincing enough to get released. This time around, with an older guardian and another surviving family member, there was no reason for Sasu to act like he wasn't traumatized by what he had seen; instead, it was Sasuke and his odd recovery that kept them under the watchful eyes of the med nin. Miraculously healed wounds were rather inconspicuous.

Sasuke let out a faint grunt as Sasu abruptly stopped, the small boy tense in his arms. Knowing exactly what had stopped the boy in his tracks, Sasuke resolutely focused on the sight before him. The Uchiha clan compound was exactly as it had been after the massacre, silent and still. The ANBU and Root agents would've been through the compound to collect the bodies and clean up any of the blood that had been spilled that night. The first time around Sasuke had had to deal with a few dried puddles of blood on his own, spots that had either gone overlooked or had been left deliberately. He had no proof, of course, but with all the scheming that went on in Konoha's underground, it wouldn't surprise Sasuke if it had been left there to traumatize him even further. This time, to his relief, the grounds had been scrubbed spotless. There was no blood in sight on their journey to the house, no disturbed ground left untouched from any fighting that had taken place. The general disarray that had plagued the compound last time was nowhere to be found this go around.

Sasuke's old house stood pristine and abandoned, door left unlocked as it creaked open with a gentle push. Sasuke held his breath as he looked around, anxious as he searched for even a speckle of the red he had once been greeted by. He made a mental note to thank Kakashi when he saw only a recently cleaned house; his sensei was more than likely behind the extra cleaning this time around. Sasuke more than appreciated it; he didn't want Sasu to feel the intense horror he had when spotting the patches of blood in the kitchen like he had.

"Sasu-kun," Sasuke muttered, keeping an eye on the silent boy even as he takes in his surroundings, "why don't you go take a bath and get ready for bed? I'm sure you're more than ready to sleep in your own bed."

Sasu didn't say anything, simply giving a brief nod of his head, his tiny figure disappearing down a dark hallway. Sasuke watched him leave, embracing the silence that unnaturally permeated the house. He stood there, not moving as he took it all in, his eyes slowly adjusting as the sun started to dip below the horizon. Sasuke took in a shaky breath before exhaling, finally walking over and flipping the switch to allow a soft light to glow within the room.

The first thing that caught his eye were the photos hung on the walls around him, the images bringing forth memories he had completely forgotten. The one closest to the door was also the oldest, a simple still frame from Mikoto and Fugaku's wedding. His father, for once in his life, actually had something resembling a smile gracing his lips, while his mother was absolutely dazzling with her happy grin.

The second picture held similar expressions, though this time Fugaku was holding a baby in his arms. Sasuke stared at this picture for a second longer than the other one, captivated by baby Itachi's soft _everything_. A soft face, soft hair, and soft eyes, carefully cradled in Fugaku's soft embrace. With regret, Sasuke silently took the frame off of the wall, not willing to have it hanging up as a reminder for Sasu. Sasuke didn't plan on letting Sasu go down the path of vengeance, nor did he plan on letting Itachi's lies stand, but the boy was broken at the moment. Sasuke would have to introduce the truth to Sasu in clues and then let the boy come to the right conclusion. Telling him point-blank wouldn't help him in any way. Until that moment came, Sasuke would have to try and erase every sign of Itachi he could.

He moved onto the final photo and he felt his lips twitch, his heart aching fiercely as he looked at a photo he hadn't seen in years. It was one of the many photos Sasuke had torn down and burned in a fit of anger, incensed to see himself look so happy with someone he had viewed as a monster. A young Itachi stared at him, his grip resolute and strong as he carefully held a younger Sasuke on his hip. It was a ridiculous picture, truly, but both of them looked so _happy_. While Itachi's face was neutral, his eyes were smiling. Sasuke himself was sending a gummy smile in the camera's direction, perfectly content in Itachi's arms. Sasuke took this photo down as well, fingers caressing over Itachi's still form.

Suddenly feeling like something was lodged in his throat, he tried to clear it by coughing slightly. He sniffed gently, glancing down the hall to make sure Sasu wasn't making a reappearance. With his younger self nowhere in sight, Sasuke carefully maneuvered the picture out of the frame before delicately folding it and placing it in his pant's pocket. He would hide the other photos in one location, but he would keep this photo on him.

He took several other photos down from walls and off of stands, doing his best not to linger as he had with the first three. Sasu wouldn't take much longer in the bath and Sasuke wanted to reassure him before he went off to bed. He carefully tucked the pictures into a box in the hall closet, hiding it behind several others. There were coats from his family still hanging on their hangers, but he couldn't bring himself to dig through them. The most immediate triggers had been hidden for now and the others, like clothing and other personal possessions, would have to wait until another day.

"Sasu-kun," Sasuke called out as he headed down the dark hall. A light appeared as soon as he turned the corner, a bright glow emanating from Sasuke's old room. Sasuke knocked gently on the door, smiling slightly as Sasu glanced up at him, the young boy just finishing adjusting his sleep shirt over his head.

"Climb into bed," Sasuke told him, softly ushering him on. He waited for Sasu to climb in before reaching and pulling the covers over the kid, trying his best to keep his kind smile plastered on his face. Sasuke was completely out of his depth when it came to taking care of someone else. He was trying his best to act like he remembered Izumi acting, but he wasn't quite sure he was succeeding. The fact was that he didn't really remember how the preteen had acted. Sasuke hadn't much cared for her, so anything she had said or done was dismissed as quickly as he could manage.

"We'll go to the market tomorrow," Sasuke hummed, reaching for something to say as he smoothed the covers down over the silent boy. Any food that had been left in the fridge would surely be spoiled by now, though Sasuke wasn't sure if the cleaning crew would've taken care of something as innocuous as expired produce. "In a day or two, we can have Danzō-sama over so you can meet him."

Silence descended after that. Sasuke paused for a moment, giving Sasu a chance to say something. When nothing came, Sasuke sighed, exhaustion truly hitting him as he struggled to smile kindly at the silent boy. "Alright," he whispered, "good night, Sasu-kun."

Sasuke exited the room, turning the light off as he left. He had left Sasu's door open, knowing just how he had used to sleep. Sasuke paused after only taking a few steps, suddenly uncertain. He could go out to the living area and sleep on the couch, that way he wouldn't have to invade one of the other two bedrooms in the house. He bit his lip, struggling to come to some type of decision. He couldn't seem to force himself to move towards his parent's bedroom, so instead, he turned around and walked the other direction, heading further down the hall until he found himself standing in front of Itachi's closed bedroom door.

It was exactly as it had been when Itachi had left it, though Sasuke knew it must have been searched by both ANBU and Root. It was clean, all of the clothes put away where they were meant to be and all the books were organized by alphabet on his two bookshelves. With a tired sigh, Sasuke trudged forward and collapsed on the bed. He was still in the clothes the hospital had lent him, but he couldn’t make himself find something to change into. He'd have to go and search Izumi's home for her clothes tomorrow. For now, he simply let sleep take him.

It felt like he closed his eyes and then the next second he was jolted awake, his body twitching violently as his eyes snapped open, his single bared eye glowing in the dark as his Sharingan activated. He sucked in a silent breath, carefully taking in the dark room around him. He couldn't sense any foreign chakra signatures, so he cautiously sat up in Itachi's bed, straining his ears to see if he could hear anything.

There was nothing, for just a moment, before a whimper broke the silence. Sasuke was up and out of his room in a second, making his way quickly down the hall. With his Sharingan activated, he stood in the doorway to Sasu's room and sadly watched the boy twist under his bedsheets, scared whimpers ripping themselves out of his throat.

Sasuke approached the left side of the bed, hesitating just before he touched Sasu. He deactivated his Sharingan after a second, instead turning on the small table lamp that rests next to Sasu's head. The kid didn't need to be woken up only to see a Sharingan eye staring at him in the dark. Sasuke gently caressed the boy's face, doing his best to keep his hand light and nonthreatening. The whimpering lessened at the contact, a few seconds passing before Sasu let out a sniffle and his eyes cracked open, immediately locking onto Sasuke's own. There was a single moment of confusion before Sasu let out a heartbreaking sob and launched himself into Sasuke's arms.

Sasuke held onto him tightly, harshly biting his lip to prevent his own cries from breaking free. He had to be strong for Sasu. He couldn’t break down, not like he wanted to.

"Shh," he hushed softly, running one hand up and down Sasu's back. "I'm here, it's going to be okay."

"They're all gone," Sasu sobbed back in response, desolation in his voice. "Mama and papa are gone. _Aniki is gone._ "

Sasuke's jaw tightened as Sasu continued to cry, his own grief washing over him in steady waves. Because as Sasu had demonstrated, Sasuke himself had been devastated by his parents' deaths, but to his shame, he had been more torn up about the fact that Itachi was no longer at his side. He had loved his mother and father, still loved them, but Sasuke had always been too attached to Itachi. Kakashi had once told Sasuke he had a rather severe brother complex, and as much as Sasuke hated to admit it, it was true. Sasuke had been more devastated that his murderous brother had left him than the fact that his parents were dead. He had gotten over it, moved onto avenging the clan that had fallen to Itachi's blade, but Sasuke had never shaken the guilt that he had cried over Itachi's absence.

Sasuke would never admit it, had never admitted it to anyone but himself, but for the first few weeks after he had been released into his new lonely life, he had desperately wished Itachi had simply taken Sasuke with him. It was one of his darkest secrets, that abhorrent wish to be coddled by the man that had murdered their entire family.

"I know, Sasu-kun," Sasuke shushed again, "I know."

Sasu cried into his arms for a few more minutes, his sobs finally slowing in intensity before they finally petered off. The silence of the night was only interrupted by Sasu's soft sniffles, the moon giving off a soft glow from the bedroom's single window.

"Izumi-chan," Sasu whispered as he pulled away slightly, looking up to meet Sasuke's gaze, "will you stay with me tonight?"

"Of course, Sasu-kun," Sasuke reassured him, following Sasu up into his bed until they were both scrunched up into Sasu's single bed. Sasuke wrapped Sasu into his arms, both of them settling under the heavy comforter. While Sasu's breathing eventually puttered out, Sasuke was left awake for the rest of the night, senses open and on a constant vigilance.

As he had learned all those years ago: on some nights, sleep just won't come.

**V. Sasuke**

Sasuke spent the next day picking up around the house, leaving Sasu alone in his room. The younger kid stayed curled up on his bed and Sasuke chose not to disturb him. Sasuke wouldn't leave him like that tomorrow, he would force the kid up and into a bath, but it was for the best if he was out of the way today. There were signs of life in the house that would trigger him and Sasuke made it his mission to clear out anything too upsetting.

He started his day by silently leaving his house, the early morning dawn leaving a dewy coolness clinging to his skin. He retraced the path that he had once walked all those years ago, letting himself into the unlocked house that once belonged to Izumi and her mother. It was smaller than Sasuke's house, but that was expected considering Sasuke was the son of the clan head.

He had to go through two rooms before he found a small bedroom, lavender sheets greeting his vision. He frowned slightly, not looking forward to wearing so much of the soft shade, but he knew that Izumi herself had been fond of it. The closet was open and clothes hung neatly from their hangers. There were multiple versions of the outfit Izumi had been stabbed in, the dark clothes some of the few darker colored things Izumi owned. He debated with himself, eyeing them before he regretfully dismissed them. While he held no adverse reaction to the clothes, Izumi would have. Wearing the outfit you were stabbed in by the boy you thought yourself in love with would surely be traumatizing to the girl if she had actually been here. Instead, he pulled out several pairs of black pants and dark purple shirts. He avoided the brighter colors, though he reluctantly grabbed a rather ornamental soft purple kimono. As the Uchiha in charge of the clan, Izumi would have to interact with others in the way that Sasuke hadn't. While Sasu would be left alone, Sasuke as Izumi would need to appear at a clan council meeting at least once.

Shoes and sandals were scooped up and Sasuke shut the closet firmly behind him. He draped the clothes over the pristine bed and then started to go through Izumi's drawers, pushing aside random items to try and find anything important. When he opened one and was granted with the sight of an entire drawer full of panties and kunoichi bras, he slammed it closed before he could stop himself. He could feel the heat rushing to his face, cheeks flaming red at the embarrassment that flooded his system.

Sasuke hadn’t been ignoring the fact that he was in Izumi's body; _he was well aware of that_. He had, perhaps, been ignoring what that really meant. Izumi, unlike Sasuke, was female. She had a vagina and, while they weren't particularly large, she also had breasts. Sasuke had done a good job of ignoring their existence, but he realized that he couldn’t go on ignoring them.

With a deep breath, he forced himself to confront his own thoughts and feelings about the body he has found himself stuck in.

He didn't know if he was particularly shocked to find himself indifferent to his change in genitalia. Sasuke hadn't liked being called a girl when he was younger, but years spent under Orochimaru's tutelage had changed his opinion on gender as a whole. Sasuke had called Orochimaru ‘he’ because that was what everyone else called him; Orochimaru himself had never seemed to care. He had answered to ‘he’, ‘she’, or ‘they’ without missing a single beat. Sasuke hadn't much cared at the time, of course, but it was a single detail that he retained nonetheless. Orochimaru hadn't had time for gender norms and it was possible that some of that attitude rubbed off on him. Sasuke didn't miss his dick, didn't feel slighted to have to sit down to pee. He didn't feel any less masculine or more feminine than he had when in his actual body. It was certainly odd to be the wrong height and weight, to carry different proportions, but it wasn't the visceral reaction of being the wrong gender.

Sasuke just was. Male or female, Sasuke existed.

An invisible weight lifted off his chest, a niggling worry from the back of his mind relieved at the conclusions drawn. Sasuke would continue to think of himself as he, but he doubted he would have much trouble with others referring to him as she. In the long run, the gender of the body he occupied didn't _matter_ to him. With new resolve, he lifted several of the panties and restrictive bras that Izumi had. While he didn't care about his gender, kunoichi wore specialized undergarments to help keep things, well, restrictive. Sasuke would need it.

The final thing Sasuke swiped was the innocent box of unopened tampons that rested on the bedside table. Sasuke wouldn't take a guess at whether or not Izumi had already gotten her first period, but after hearing Karin and Sakura both complain, he was going to take the threat seriously going forward.

Sasuke gathered up his new treasures and headed out of Izumi's house, trudging back to his own home. He dumped his goods into Itachi's room and then silently checked on a quiet Sasuke, relieved to see the boy was asleep and not brooding. With most of the delicate things hidden away and Sasuke now dressed in an outfit that actually belonged to Izumi, he had another objective to get to: figuring out what went wrong.

He admittedly didn't have any concrete idea on where to start, but he did know that it had something to do with his Eternal Mangekyou Sharingan. With that in mind, Sasuke headed to the only place that might have answers: the Naka Shrine.

It was different this time. _Well, of course, it's different,_ Sasuke couldn’t help but scoff at himself. The shrine stood whole before him, undisturbed unlike it was after Nagato's assault on the village. The cold silence of the place was slightly disturbing. No torches were lit and no lanterns remained hanging; the only light came from the outside. It was a simple trick, one that he was willing to believe would work, to light a single torch. Just a brief moment of flared chakra, a slight intake of breath, and then a strong exhale. Fire swayed forward and Sasuke was pleased to see the torch burning once more. He hadn’t practiced chakra control in this body yet, didn't know the strengths and weaknesses, but setting a little fire came easily to him.

With that finished, Sasuke accessed the hidden staircase and made his way down. Shadows danced along the hallway as he grew closer to his goal, the flame merrily jumping along with his steps. The sekihi was lit only by his torch and he took a moment to dip it down into the bowls of fluid next to the monument. They lit just as easily as the torch did and Sasuke carefully placed his still lit torch into one of the torch holders on the wall. Finally, he turned to the piece of stone in front of him.

This monument, this sekihi before him, had led to the downfall of the entire Uchiha clan. Egotistic fantasies and false prophecies lay before him and it burned something in Sasuke that he had to go to this damned piece of rock to find answers. He knew the falsehoods it held, and yet he was still so very scared that Zetsu had even more diabolic plans set in place. Realistically, he doubted it, but with how convoluted his life had been, he'd had worse things thrown his way.

He unwrapped the bandage around his Rinnegan and took a look at the hidden words before him. He skimmed past the inane words about controlling the bijū, the story of the sage and Kaguya, as well as the false hope that was the Infinite Tsukuyomi. It was after the warning of the Curse of Hatred that shimmery words caught his eye.

" _When seeking absolution, one may change the past,_ " he muttered, eyes dragging along the faint words before him. " _When one holds both eyes of the eternity, when one wishes with more than heart, the eternal eye will take the holder to the place of their deepest regret._ "

Sasuke held his breath, eyes wide as he tried to understand what the sekihi was telling him. If he took the tablet's word for it, there seemed to be an implication that the Sharingan, at least the Eternal Mangekyou Sharingan, held some type of time traveling power. Sasuke had both a Sharingan and a Rinnegan; Sasuke would bet they were the eternal eyes the tablet referred to. Hidden from all except for the one carrying both eyes. Sasuke shiveres slightly, the memory of Madara's mismatched eyes flashing in his mind. The very idea that Madara had had the ability to read this hidden truth made Sasuke want to vomit. He couldn’t even begin to imagine what Madara would have done with the ability to travel through time.

Shaking himself, he dismissed fears that would never come to pass. Sasuke wouldn’t let the sekihi fall into Madara's hands once again. What he could do was get rid of the lies that Zetsu had planted. Sasuke couldn’t change the words, wouldn’t even know where to begin, but he could wipe them off of the stone completely. It would take some work and elbow grease, especially while in Izumi's preteen body, but he vowed to erase the lies Zetsu had fed his clan.

Eyeing the words once more, he felt a pang in his heart. The ability that lied within his Eternal Mangekyou Sharingan had obviously reacted to the time travel attempt Team 7 had been trying. He didn't know exactly what that interaction had done, but he was currently living the result: stuck in the wrong body. He read the words 'deepest regret' and he wondered. What did Izumi have to do with Sasuke's deepest regret? According to the stone, they could've ended up before the massacre, right before Sasuke had shoved his hand through Naruto's chest, or even when Sasuke had attacked his team with the intent to kill. Any of those were reasonable regrets that Sasuke carried with him. Why then did he end up right after the massacre? Was it possible that the interference between his eye and the seals had caused a different reaction altogether? What regret did he unknowingly carry in regard to the time right after the massacre? How did it relate to his current inhabitance of Izumi's body?

 _And_ , he thought with a sharp frown, _how does it relate to the rest of Team 7?_ Kakashi ended up in Danzō's body; was there lingering regret over not killing him when he had the chance? For following the Sandaime's words and letting Danzō continue to screw with things from the shadows? Sasuke doubted that Kakashi would actually share his regrets with him, but it was an important enough detail that he'd have to ask him anyway. It also got Sasuke curious about where the other two missing members of their team were. What regrets did Naruto carry? What person could be connected so deeply with his past that he wanted to change it? Sasuke had a few ideas, the brief conversation between Naruto and Gaara coming to mind, but that left him zero clues about Sakura. As much as he cared about her, he could admit, at least to himself, that he knew the least about her. He knew far too much about Naruto. He had needed to know everything he could when he saw the boy as the only attachment he had. Sasuke saw Kakashi as someone similar to himself. He had had little respect for the man for a good amount of time, but his stance on the man had since changed to one of exasperated affection and healthy respect. He knew things about Kakashi simply because the man felt comfortable sharing more with his silent student than with the boisterous Naruto and the proud Sakura. On the other hand, Sakura had mostly gone ignored. Love bubbled up at the memory of his only female teammate. She was family to him, of course, but he had to admit that he could have done a better job at getting to know this older, more mature version of her.

Sighing in defeat, Sasuke stood from his kneeling position, eyes skating across the words he had just recently discovered. He would have to come back to rid the sekihi of Zetsu's lies, but it could wait. Sasu would surely be waking soon and it wouldn't do for Sasuke to be nowhere within shouting distance. Sasuke still had to prepare something for them to eat for lunch, as well as look through their supplies, both food and weapon wise. Sasu would have to be up early tomorrow in preparation for Kakashi's arrival and then the introduction to their new guardian.

Sasuke left the bowls burning, taking the single torch with him as he exited the chamber and left the damned stone tablet behind him.

* * *

**Interlude VII: Kakashi**

Getting the majority of Root agents back into the village was exhausting. The shinobi were widespread throughout the shinobi nations, from the average looking farmer to a nin from Iwagakure who, as far as Kakashi could figure out, was stationed there some _twenty years ago_. The amount of reach and influence that Danzō had held in his grasp was never going to cease to amaze him. It did, however, bring up the question of where all the shinobi had been during the last war. Had they integrated themselves during the tumultuous period? Konoha based agents had a support system simply from the village knowing what was going on; an agent stationed in any of the other villages would have been left floundering. Could the unemotional Root shinobi have formed bonds with their comrades during this time? Had an undercover agent become a loyal shinobi to the village they had once been ordered to infiltrate? It was a question Kakashi wished he could answer, especially as the shinobi started to flood the underground Root base.

The shinobi had been trickling in for the past week, all blank-faced and obedient. Kakashi was sure he had caught sight of several shinobi he was almost positive were Kumogakure hunter nin.

What a time to be suddenly thrust into the position of leading a secret underground militaristic government.

Kakashi shuffled through more of Danzō's files, huffing in agitation as he stacked another file into the pile to his right. Since his decree, he'd been reading as many files as he could, determined to know every resource and shinobi that Danzō had had in his wrinkly grasp. As much as he wanted to focus on the whole 'Sai is an Uchiha' thing, he knew he _couldn't_. More than just Sai's true parentage was at stake.

Kakashi knew he would have to stand in front of the gathered shinobi soon enough. They would be forever patient, they were taught to be that way, but eventually, even they would start to shift in anxious bewilderment if Kakashi put them off for too long. Danzō had always been too goal-oriented for them to be comfortable sitting around. They had been taught to be dangerous and proactive; Kakashi stagnating for even a second would set off several alarms in people's heads about his true identity.

Kakashi let out a frustrated sigh, stretching in his seat and wincing when his aching back popped loudly. Danzō was so much older than Kakashi had ever been; Kakashi had gone from the aches of a proactive nin in his thirties to those of a retired veteran in his seventies. The aches and creaks in his joints were an unwelcome shock that continued to plague him the longer he sat in one place.

There was a chakra flare outside of his door, a subtle little wave in the air, before a sharp knock rang out. Kakashi straightened up, adopting a severe mask, before giving the visitor permission to enter.

A masked nin entered, immediately dipping down to kneel before Kakashi, the sign of respect almost making Kakashi twitch. The nin was of a slight build, his height set in an ambiguous age. Kakashi stared at him for a moment, taking in his dark hair and ANBU mask.

"Hyō," Kakashi finally settled on, recognizing the distinct pattern on the mask. The nin, a mere boy at this time, was one of the files he had read in the first week he had found himself in the past. One of the many recruits that was a war orphan, Hyō didn't have a family name. As far as Kakashi could understand from his file, he had only ever known Root.

"Danzō-sama," Hyō replied in kind, his voice emotionless. "The last of the available Root members have arrived."

Kakashi felt his heartbeat quicken, the inevitable finally catching up to him. "Tell them I'll be making my announcement in only a few moments."

"Yes, Danzō-sama," Hyō replied, not once looking up from his crouched position.

"Dismissed," Kakashi said after a moment of silence, uneasy at Hyō's complete obedience. The young nin exited the room promptly, closing the door behind him and leaving Kakashi alone once more.

Kakashi reached up, rubbing at his temples as a tension headache slowly started to form. He couldn't express how much he _didn't want to do this_. Danzō had been a complicated man. Sure, Kakashi might have viewed him as a cold tyrant, but that didn't mean he hadn't had multiple motivations for his actions. Kakashi hated the man for many reasons, so having to pretend to be him, to believe in his ideals, was almost physically painful.

Kakashi didn't want war. Kakashi didn't want chaos. All he's ever wanted was peace. The peace of no longer having to fight.

With a tired huff, Kakashi pulled himself up out of his chair, calmly making his way around Danzō's desk and out of the door. He mentally went over his prepared speech as he made his way down the stairs to the first floor, sedately trudging along until he reached a large painting. Kakashi eyed it warily, fighting down a sneer at the impassive face of the Nidaime Hokage. Senju Tobirama was standing expressionless in the painting, his red eyes unfocused as he stared at nothing. Kakashi would never claim to know the man's intentions, but he highly doubted he would approve of the way Danzō had twisted the village into knots from the shadows.

Kakashi raised his hand and pressed it on the wall to the right of the painting, measuring his chakra carefully until there was a spark of warmth and the painting clicked open, a gaping dark hole meeting his gaze. Kakashi was quick to tighten his chakra down, his quickened heartbeat his only sign of distress. He didn't know if it was inconvenient or not to still have _his_ distinct chakra. Sasuke also had his own chakra signature, but it was different in unique ways. Still undoubtedly Sasuke, but the presence of his Rinnegan and the slightly different pathways of Izumi's body gave it a more distinct feeling than younger Sasu's. Kakashi still mostly felt like himself to chakra sensitives, but because of the way the chakra in Danzō's body flowed, he had a tinge of _other_ as well. Small enough to ignore if he wanted to, but it felt wrong to Kakashi on so many levels.

He took a measured step into the darkness of the corridor and didn't hold back the sneer that formed when the lights turned on as soon as he stepped into it. Triggered by the presence of chakra no doubt. The painting swung closed behind him as Kakashi made his way down the corridor, setting deeper into the ground as he reached the first flight of stairs. The trip took only a few minutes before he was deposited into a large atrium, the room filled with silent Root shinobi. Kakashi didn't doubt that they had been talking before he showed up, but as soon as they had heard him, they abruptly grew passive once more.

A path cleared for him immediately and he made his way towards the raised stage at the front of the room. Hundreds of shinobi gathered on either side of him and just thinking about the work ahead of him made him want to curse. More than half of these shinobi weren't regularly in the village, off spying and infiltrating in the villages and areas Danzō had deemed enemies; which meant they were everywhere and anywhere.

Kakashi raised himself onto the stage, turning to face them with his grave mask firmly stuck in place. This would be delicate work.

"I have called you all here today to inform you of a... change in the way Root will continue forward. I have been given guardianship over the young Uchiha survivors, which means I am going to be watched even closer than I once was. Hiruzen has agreed to my guardianship on one condition: Root must change."

Kakashi watched each shinobi take this in, though most didn't show any outward sign of caring about his announcement. There were a few, however, that carried a curious gleam in their eyes. Those were the shinobi that Kakashi would have to speak with first; they would be the ones to break the emotional conditioning the quickest.

"Each individual will be going through emotional rehabilitation. While a shinobi has no need for emotions, I am willing to concede this point for the advantage of gaining the Uchiha. Every nin under the age of fifteen will be interviewed for their emotional state before being adopted out into shinobi families. Any clan children will be treated and returned to their homes. If, _and only if_ , anyone older wishes to stay in the barracks, they will be granted the courtesy. If no home is procured for you after rehabilitation, a single shinobi will be assigned your case and you are welcome to stay in the barracks as well."

This announcement finally brought a reaction out of the placid shinobi. A whisper of voices rose up from the crowd before all went quiet once more, eyes stuck firmly to Kakashi's figure.

"And finally," he began once more, happy to almost be finished, "I am looking into finding an heir to Root. I am being watched closely and I will need someone to give orders when I am otherwise... indisposed. Once I have made my decision, I will inform you of your new leader. Let's make one thing clear, however: just because you are going somewhere, that does not mean you are no longer Root." Kakashi hated doing this, hiding his distaste by glaring out into the crowd of shinobi. He didn't want to keep Root running, wanted all of these shinobi to get help and then get gone, but both he and Sasuke knew that that wasn't possible. While rehabilitation was the goal, many of these shinobi had been under Danzō's purview since _birth_. Many wouldn't ever recover or adjust to society's views. Root had to continue forward simply because these men and women would need it to function.

"All of you are to report to Konoha's hospital to schedule evaluations," Kakashi finished with a flourish, eyes hard. "Dismissed."

Most of the shinobi made to follow his orders immediately, heading to one of the multiple exits along the far wall. Others were more delayed with their actions, instead turning to say a word or two to the shinobi beside them. One, however, made a beeline for Kakashi.

"Danzō-sama," the agent greeted, giving a simple bowing of his head in greeting. Tsumiki Kido, a money-hungry asshole, was Root's treasurer. Kakashi knows he had become an ANBU executive by the time the war had started, though he hadn't been given much time to settle into the role.

"Tsumiki," Kakashi greeted in return, though he didn't move a muscle.

"I read over your financial report," Tsumiki stated, a slight level of annoyance reaching his words. "Would medication not be the smarter choice? _Therapy_ ," Tsumiki spat the word, a grimace of disgust finding its way onto his face, "won't bring as much revenue as medicine would."

"My hands are tied, Tsumiki," Kakashi stated firmly, not wanting to have this conversation. The man was worrying about the money of the situation, and not about the health of his fellow shinobi.

"Danzō-sama," Tsumiki tried again, a plea forming on his tongue, "please reconsider—"

"Danzō-sama," a masked kunoichi interrupted, the woman falling to the floor to kneel in greeting. Tsuchinoe's distinct scarred bear mask was a welcome sight, simply for the fact that it gets Kakashi out of having to deal with the money-hungry Tsumiki.

"Report."

"Hebi-san has returned and is requesting an audience."

Kakashi kept his face blank, but he cringed on the inside. Hebi could only mean one person.

"Escort him to my secondary office," Kakashi stated, turning away from both agents and leaving without another word. He didn't want any evidence of meeting Orochimaru in his home office, not when it would probably be regularly searched by ANBU. He felt slightly stupid for already forgetting about the Snake Sannin. Kakashi had been the one to bring him up while they were planning and all of the chaos since returning had successfully made him forget about the man's very existence. He briefly entertained the idea of killing the man as soon as he took a step into the room, but dismissed it. While Kakashi might have stood a small chance at facing off against him, Kakashi as Danzō wouldn't cut it. He didn't know how Danzō's body moved yet, hadn't had the time to even think about training. It was for the best if he simply pretended to hear Orochimaru out before dismissing him.

Kakashi had the time to find the office Danzō had used while down in the base and take a seat to pretend to be filing papers before Tsuchinoe was there with a silent Orochimaru.

"Orochimaru," Kakashi greeted with slight disgust. "What can I do for you?"

Tsuchinoe left and Kakashi looked up from his papers to meet semi-familiar mint green eyes. The pupils were slits, which was slightly disconcerting, but Kakashi knew his students. He knew Sakura's sharp gaze. Before he could get a word out, however, Orochimaru, who he could only assume was Sakura had Kusanagi within her hand as she sprang forward in a snarling attack.

"For Sasuke!"

* * *

**Interlude VIII: Sakura**

Sakura opened the door to a dimly lit hallway, cautiously peeking her head out to look down both ways. No sound came from either direction, so Sakura left the room, gently closing the door behind her. The door was painted a dark purple on the outside and Sakura reminded herself to remember that; it wouldn't do for her to go looking for information and then not be able to find her way to the only room she could guarantee was semi-safe.

She was very conscious of the way she walked, a swaying step that was silent along the empty hallway. Orochimaru's gait was different from hers. She was much more surefooted, able to take a hit and stay in place. Orochimaru was built for deflection and dodging, a slinky style of fighting that was incredibly different from hers.

It took another minute to find another door and Sakura felt the scowl forming on her face. This hallway was far too long and reminiscent of the other time she had entered a base belonging to Orochimaru. There was a startling lack of other occupants so far and it made Sakura wonder. How far back had she ended up? Orochimaru couldn't be in Konoha, not with the way this base was set up, so _when_ was she?

She saw a door further down the hall and she picked up her pace, curiously taking in a solid-looking wooden door. Sakura pushed, expecting the door to open, but it didn't budge. Instead, a hot red seal suddenly appeared on the door and Sakura yelped at a sudden pain racing through her hand. She cursed, pulling away and glaring at the seal. It stayed red for half a second, a trickle of blood smeared across it, before it faded to black and then disappeared once more, the smeared blood seemingly disappearing. There was a light clicking sound and then the door partially swung open.

Sakura grimaced, trying to find the cut on her hand. There had to be one, even a shallow cut, from the amount of blood that had been smeared. Instead, there was no sign of a mark anywhere. Already feeling tired of Orochimaru's nonsense, she hesitantly reached forward once more. There was no slicing pain this time, so Sakura pushed the door further open, eyes keen as she examined the dark room. Her eyes adjusted quickly, the slits no doubt expanding to let more light in. She was easily able to find the light switch right next to the door.

She turned and she couldn't believe her luck. Before her was an office, scrolls and books lining several bookshelves behind a rather large desk. Sakura felt her heart pick up in excitement and she quickly made her way to the bookshelf. She doubted Orochimaru would keep something as sensitive as the secret to his body-swapping in an open bookshelf, but there was still available information in front of her. She'd take anything she could get.

The first book was something she thought was odd for Orochimaru to own; it was a civilian sign language book. She glanced at the cover, forever curious, but she dismissed it just as quickly. The following books all centered around politics and then general weapons care. Simple book after simple book and even though she knew better than to set her hopes onto an obvious bookshelf, she felt herself deflate slightly.

Her luck, however, had not yet run out. On the second shelf, set up into cubbies with several scrolls in each slot, there were many more interesting contents. Several of the scrolls were actually summoning scrolls, including animals that she had never seen summoned before. There was a small scroll for something called a bennu, as well as a slightly larger scroll for, of all things, boars. The third one in the cubby was larger than the other two and far more ornamental on the outside. While the others had simple bands of green decorating them, this scroll had gold lining and dark purple detail. Sakura tugged it out, curious, and then immediately made a face.

 _Spiders_ , she thought with disgust. _It was a summoning scroll for_ spiders.

"Who the hell wants to summon spiders?" she asked herself, shoving the scroll back into its previous position.

The following scrolls were far less interesting, notes upon notes of simple anecdotes about mundane things. There were some financial reports that Sakura couldn't make out, as well as some notes on what the farming season was like in Hi no Kuni.

 _And there it is_ , Sakura thought smugly, feeling relief flood through her veins. She now had confirmation that she was at least in the same country as Konoha. It shouldn't take too long to make it to the village and try to find out where she was in the timeline. Hopefully, she would even run into her teammates.

Sakura half-heartedly went through the rest of the papers on the shelf, books and scrolls not holding her interest for long. She barely pulled out a small plant encyclopedia when there was a clunking sound. Blinking, she dipped her head down, pursing her lips when she had to swipe Orochimaru's long black hair out of her face. There was a tiny messenger scroll wedged in the back behind the encyclopedia.

Sakura pulled it out, curious, unraveling it after setting the encyclopedia back in place.

She skimmed it, not able to decipher the message on the scroll. She did, however, recognize some of the code words used. The last time she'd seen a similarly coded message, she was helping her shishou decrypt some of Danzō's redacted orders from his time as Root's leader. With a small jolt, Sakura realized she has proof that Danzō was in contact with Orochimaru even after he left the village.

"Orochimaru-sama?"

Sakura stood abruptly, a snarl on her lips, meeting the eyes of a nervous-looking man. He wasn't wearing any village identifying symbols, only a pristine white lab coat. He was nervously wringing his hands, doing his best not to meet Sakura's eyes.

"What?" Sakura asked, her voice tight with irritation.

"A message came for you," he stated, hurriedly laying a tiny scroll onto the desk separating them. He made a hasty exit, not waiting for Sakura to respond.

Sakura watched him go, eyes tracking him as he closed the door behind him. She felt stupid for not closing the door behind her, but it was too late now to be bothered by it. She relaxed her stance, glancing down at the message resting innocently on the desk.

It looked exactly like the correspondence she had just found.

Suddenly eager, Sakura sprang forward and exchanged the old scroll for the new one, delighted to have more information in her grasp. This scroll meant that she at least knew that Danzō was still alive. It put her whereabouts before the Kage Summit, which was more than she had had a moment ago.

This scroll was incredibly simple to decrypt. While the other had been heavily coded with both words Sakura knew how to decipher as well as words she couldn't place, this message was incredibly short and to the point.

_Hebi,_

_Danzō-sama has issued the following orders: all active Root shinobi are to report to the alpha base for an announcement. Kuma will meet you outside of Konohagakure._

The scroll had no sign off signature, which left Sakura curious as to who was spreading word of Danzō's orders. What could Danzō want to announce that was so important that Root agents, especially ones as noticeable as Orochimaru, were being called back?

What did Danzō have up his sleeve?

Sakura bit her lip, a wave of searing anger slowly building in her chest. Sakura disliked plenty of people, wasn't light or naive enough not to wish certain people dead, but if there was one man that she wished she could've gotten her hands-on, it was Danzō. Learning the truth about the man and his bloody deeds had set a fire within her, one almost as hot as Orochimaru's existence had.

She re-rolled the scroll, setting down the new one next to the identical old one. She would leave the base, report to the so-called alpha base with this Kuma person, and make her way into the heart of Danzō's territory. Once whatever announcement was made, she would request a private meeting with the man. She would have time to get used to Orochimaru's movements, time to plan, even if for only the time it took her to travel back to the village. Sakura was a medic-nin and she would be able to feel out her body and adjust far faster than someone unfamiliar with the way human biology worked. She would get him alone and then execute the justice that Sasuke deserved.

If she was lucky, she might even be early enough to circumvent the entire Uchiha Massacre with a simple assassination.

"Enough of that," Sakura muttered to herself, shaking her head to rid her of her vengeful thoughts. She had to finish her brief examination of Orochimaru's office before going back to Orochimaru's room to pack some clothes. There were some more neutral-toned items in the closet that she would have to deal with wearing, as the outfit she currently had Orochimaru in was much too bright for any type of stealth work. If the man was already located in a base, then he was surely already on the run as a traitor. Sakura didn't want to have to fight any of her future—past?—comrades.

The wooden desk before her was sparse on top, several different bottles of ink littering the top, as well as both empty scrolls and blank pieces of paper. Sakura snagged a small travel scroll from the top right drawer, pleased that she at least wouldn't have to sleep on the hard ground. Most of the drawers held innocuous things as well, simple tools like extra brushes and pens. The top left drawer was the only one that brought anything interesting to her attention.

Sakura stared down at the letter in her grasp, blinking down with mixed emotions.

_Orochimaru,_

_I found this montsuki in a little shop in Kirigakure. The pattern reminded me of you. I know you're not a big fan of bright colors, but I thought it would look good on you. Maybe you can wear it to Tanataba when I get back from my mission? I miss you and Tsunade both. Hopefully I'll be back home in a few more weeks._

_Yours,_

_Jiraiya_

Sakura stared blankly at the message, struggling to understand what exactly she was supposed to make of the letter. If she could deduce the meaning correctly, Jiraiya had bought Orochimaru a montsuki—which could very well be the one she was wearing now—and had asked if they could attend a _love festival_ together while Orochimaru wore his gift.

"What the fuck?" Sakura breathed out, stunned at the revelation before her.

Jiraiya was a pervert, a man who spied on women while they tried to relax in hot springs. He wrote dirty books about heterosexual relationships; the very idea of any type of homosexual feelings from the man was conflicting with the image she held in her mind.

Could it be, Sakura wondered, that the man simply liked both and never advertised that fact? The times shifted all the time. In Sakura's time, what more conservative people dubbed an 'alternative lifestyle', didn't matter much. Men could marry men and women could marry women. Hell, Sakura knew at least one nurse that identified as non-binary who had a wonderful transgender husband that Sakura had helped perform top surgery on.

Back in Jiraiya's day, however, it wasn't as easy. Sakura could easily imagine the man keeping his orientation, while not necessarily hidden, but definitely under wraps. Someone like Orochimaru, who was actively androgynous in a lot of ways, didn't hide his tendencies.

It was probably one of the reasons people had been wary of him from the start. Sakura had heard enough stories from her shishou to know that Orochimaru had never made any attempt to hide who or what he was. He was open and unashamed of his entire being. People had feared others for a lot less.

Sakura scowled at the thought. People hated Orochimaru because he lacked any empathy whatsoever. He experimented on kids, for fuck's sake. He deserved no pity from her. None.

She steadily ignored the part of her that acknowledged that Orochimaru must have kept the gifted clothing and the letter for a reason. That he must have felt something for someone to feel the need to keep it.

Instead, she simply put the letter back and gathered the Root correspondence. She needed clothes and a plan; for when she left this base, she never had any intention of coming back.

* * *

**Interlude IX: Naruto**

Naruto wiped the sweat off his brow, grimacing slightly when he accidentally swiped some of the cool ink across his heated forehead. He analyzed the fresh seal in front of him, eyes darting critically back and forth, trying to find any discrepancies. The seal he drew on Gaara was similar to his own, though there were some key differences. Shukaku didn't have anywhere near the power Kurama did, so the seal didn't have to be as airtight as the one Naruto had. It would hold Shukaku within Gaara, as well as allow him to access the ichibi's chakra should he need it. One similarity between the two, however, laid in the key. Shukaku would be locked away and contained until such a time that he could be trusted not to attack others. As of right now, the bijū was too unstable. Not completely his fault of course, not with the sorry state Gaara's seal was in, but Naruto wasn't willing to risk either Gaara or Shukaku's mental health. Shukaku would be kept contained until Gaara could talk some sense into his companion.

"Kazekage-sama? Did it work?" Yashamaru asked, breaking Naruto out of his assessment.

Naruto let out a breath, taking one last lingering look at the spiraling seal on Gaara's stomach before putting the brush down next to him. "Almost," Naruto reassured the worried man, glancing up at him briefly. "It needs to be activated."

"Activated?" Yashamaru asked, a worried frown ever-present on his face.

Instead of replying, Naruto carefully started drawing chakra. He supposed he was lucky that he wasn't trying to use any complicated jutsus because the pull on his chakra felt more than odd. Rasa had vastly different chakra pathways to Naruto. He was the Kazekage, so he had large coils, but Naruto was a unique case; no one had coils like he did. Sasuke, who was his match in almost everything, didn't even have the pathways he did. Sakura, while healing them both during the war, had explained that Sasuke had much better chakra control. Naruto was the one with too much chakra and little control, Sakura with little chakra and excellent control, and Sasuke more in the middle with large reserves and adequate control.

Rasa, if Naruto thought about it, was probably more like Sasuke. He would need the control to use his _sakin_. The gold dust techniques that Rasa was famous for probably took a lot more control than Naruto had at the moment. Maybe the altered pathways, more used to a smaller concentration of chakra, could help him learn? He'd have to use them at some point if he wanted to continue to go undiscovered.

When Naruto felt there was enough chakra collected in his palm, he carefully laid it on the seal and started funneling it into the black spiral. It wouldn't take all that much to activate it.

"There," Naruto said after a moment, withdrawing from Gaara and letting his shoulders relax. "The seal should hold for as long as we want it to. Gaara might be out for a bit longer; would you take him to see a medic-nin? Get him into bed?"

Yashamaru watched him for a moment, a wary curiosity in his gaze, before he bowed his head in submission. "Of course, Kazekage-sama."

Naruto let Yashamaru lift Gaara up, his gaze soft and his touch gentle as he carried the young boy out of the office. Naruto waited for the door to creak shut behind the man before he stood, stretching out his sore muscles. Keeping as steady and still as one needed to be to write an active seal was exhausting. Naruto had gotten used to it; Rasa's body was already aching from the precision necessary for the deed.

Naruto sighed, glancing around the empty office. He had been in the Kazekage's office before, but it had been during Gaara's reign. It looked similar, but there was a lack of personality in Rasa's version of the office. There weren't any pictures of his family, nor were there any pictures of his predecessors hanging on the wall. Naruto wasn't sure if it was because of Rasa's disposition, or if it had something to do with Sunagakure's culture being different from Konohagakure's.

Naruto warily took a seat behind the desk, a hole forming in his chest as his predicament really started to hit him. He was stuck in a village he knew nothing about, alone.

His pulse jumped and he finally remembered that he _wasn't_ alone.

 _Kurama?_ Naruto thought, his eyes falling closed as he started to concentrate on the weak chakra that wasn't his own.

When he opened his eyes once more, he was greeted by the familiar sight of the dank sewer that Kurama called home. The gates that had once kept Kurama trapped were open and the giant fox was peaking at him, his eyelids looking heavy as he struggled to keep them open. 

" **Naruto** ," Kurama grumbled out, his deep voice a soft growl as he greeted him.

Naruto quickly darted forward, laying a soft hand on Kurama's forehead. "Hey, are you okay?"

" **Took a lot out of me** ," Kurama explained, a heavy sigh leaving his lips. " **You're not where you're supposed to be**."

"Tell me about it," Naruto replied, his nose scrunching up in distaste. "Don't get me wrong, it's great I get to help Gaara, but I would've preferred to do so without being _Rasa_ of all people."

Kurama snorted at the derision in Naruto's voice at the mention of Gaara's father, but he otherwise left that topic of conversation alone. Instead, his giant body shifted slightly, his head bumping up against Naruto's hand with grumbled affection. " **You not being** **_you_ ** **will cause problems**."

"I know," Naruto admitted, frowning. "I'm not sure how I'm supposed to find the others. If I'm Rasa, then they could be anybody. I'll need to try and get some intel on the situation in Konoha; see if anyone has been acting out of the ordinary."

" **It's not just that** ," Kurama interrupted his thoughts, his eyes meeting Naruto's with a heavy gaze. " **There's now two of me running around**."

Naruto paused, a growing sense of concern coming upon him. It was one thing to have Kurama's chakra separated into two halves; what would happen if two halves of the _same Kurama_ were to meet? What if they reacted poorly with each other? Would something awful happen to Kurama? To _Naruto_?

" **You have to stay away from your younger self until I have more strength. I won't be able to check our connection until I have more of my chakra**."

"Wait, seriously?" Naruto asked with disbelief, a groan falling from his lips. "But I have to find the others!"

" **Naruto** ," Kurama growled back, the fox visibly fighting to keep his eyes open. " **You have to trust that the others will be fine. If we go near your younger self before I examine the connection, it could end in disaster. You must stay away**!"

"Father!" a shout interrupted his thoughts, causing him to twitch in surprise. Naruto was abruptly brought out of their shared mindscape, his legs shaking as he hastily stood and made his way to stand in front of the large desk.

Two small figures fumbled their way into Rasa's office, their young faces new, yet recognizable. Temari wore her light hair in her unique style, her teal eyes looking up at him with childlike worry. The other child had shaggy brown hair, the dark eyes carrying similar worries. Naruto can barely recognize Kankurō without his face makeup, the bare face making him pause for a second.

"We heard _it_ got loose! Are you okay?" Temari asked again, her small arms coming to wrap tightly around Naruto's legs. Kankurō drew closer as well, though he chose to grasp tightly at the Kazekage robes that graced his figure, rather than give him a full-on hug.

"I'm fine," Naruto replied, doing his best to soften Rasa's rough voice. He laid his hands on each of their heads, guilt building up within him.

Naruto, in his single-minded focus on Gaara and Shukaku, had forgotten the fact that Rasa had two other children. Naruto didn't have to just watch out for Gaara, but for Temari and Kankurō as well. The three siblings were at odds during this time, especially with the way Rasa treated Gaara. They were scared of Gaara right now, not the supportive siblings they would be in the future.

"Gaara is sleeping in the medical wing," Naruto said, guessing. He was sure Yashamaru had taken Gaara to be looked over, but he still didn't know the layout of the village. He'd been in Sunagakure only briefly and he'd been rather _occupied_ at the time. "There won't be any other incidents from now on."

"Are you sure?" Temari asked, the little girl biting her lip in worry.

"Gaara needed help," Naruto stated, picking his words carefully. They were still young; they didn't need to know the dirty details, not now that Naruto was there to deal with the situation. "I found something that would help him. He should be okay now."

"Does that mean we can play with him now?" Kankurō blurted out, paling slightly when Naruto's gaze shifted to him.

Naruto felt a pang in his chest at the clear uncertainty the two displayed towards him. Rasa had been a cold man and a distant father. He was closer to Temari and Kankurō, as evidenced by Temari's tight grasp and Kankurō's clinginess, but they were clearly afraid of Rasa's reaction.

"Of course," Naruto nodded, giving Kankurō a brief smile. He couldn't go around grinning at people, not as Rasa, but he would do his best to reassure Gaara's siblings while still staying somewhat in character. "He needs to rest and you need to go slow, but I'm sure he would love to play with you. Now, why don't you go see if he's up yet?"

Naruto ushered them out, feeling slightly bad as he pried their hands off of him, gently escorting them to the door. They both lingered for a moment, wide eyes looking up at him, before they were off down the hall, most likely heading towards where they knew Gaara was resting.

Before Naruto could close the door and lock it, _damn it_ , the familiar figure of Baki made his way down the opposite hall, his face grim as he met Naruto's eyes. Naruto held back a groan, already growing frustrated at his lack of privacy. He needed a moment, just a second, to start thinking through his situation. He needed to make his way back into his seal to talk with Kurama to better figure out what the hell they're supposed to be doing if Naruto can't go and find his team. He needed a moment to re-establish himself as _Naruto_.

"Kazekage-sama," Baki greeted with a bow. "The council wishes to be briefed on the situation."

"Right," Naruto breathed out, groaning inwardly. Naruto was not, in any way, prepared to speak before the Sunagakure council. "Lead the way."

* * *


	5. VI. Sasuke—Interlude XII: Naruto

* * *

****

**VI. Sasuke**

"Sasu-kun," Sasuke said, his voice as reassuring as he could make it, "this is Shimura-san. He's our new guardian."

"Shimura Danzō," Kakashi elaborated. Sasu was watching Kakashi with a suspicious gaze, an uncertain bearing in his stance as he hid halfway behind Sasuke. "It's nice to meet you, Sasu-kun."

"Hello," Sasu muttered in reply, shuffling further behind Sasuke.

"Shimura-san is going to make sure we have everything we need," Sasuke explained, his fingers softly running through Sasu's slightly spiked hair. "If you ever need something and you can't find me, it's okay to ask Shimura-san."

"Okay," Sasu replied quietly, his eyes darting back and forth between Sasuke and Kakashi.

"Why don't you go to your room and see what you need?" Kakashi suggested, causing Sasuke to raise his eyebrow in question. "Look around and see if you need any new clothes or training weapons. After that, write a list of your favorite foods and snacks. I'm going to the store and I'd be glad to gather anything you want."

Sasu hesitated, clearly not wanting to leave Sasuke's side, but he eventually shuffled off, his sock covered feet causing him to slide slightly as he scurried down the hall towards his room.

"What's going on?" Sasuke asked as soon as Sasu was out of sight, his voice pitched low as he whispered to Kakashi.

"I got a visitor last night," Kakashi started, his voice pitched even lower than Sasuke's. "We need to meet somewhere tonight."

"A visitor?" Sasuke questioned, a frown forming as he looked at Kakashi. "We could meet at the Naka Shrine, I suppose? I actually have something I want to share. I think I know what messed up the ritual—"

"Shimura-san!" Sasu's voice shouted, the little boy coming into view as he exits his room and hurries towards them. "I need new kunai and a new pair of sandals."

"Of course," Kakashi smiled down at Sasu, pleased that Sasu was meeting his eyes with less hesitation than before.

"There's nothing in our fridge," Sasu told Kakashi bluntly, making Sasuke twitch in slight embarrassment. He had meant to go to the store and gather some new groceries, but he'd been busy cleaning the house and emptying it of any bad memories that might trigger Sasu. They'd been surviving off of takeout for the past couple of days. "I want tomatoes and Izumi-chan likes kaki no tane and I want oyakodon for dinner and Itachi likes—"

While Sasu's rambling was sort of cute, his mention of Itachi and then his abrupt silence was a painful reminder to Sasuke that the massacre was still fresh in Sasu's mind.

"Itachi liked dango for dessert," Sasuke added softly, smiling sadly at Sasu's watery eyes.

Sasu sniffed, tears threatening to fall as he looked morosely down at his feet. Sasuke bit his lip, hesitant to reach forward and bring Sasu to his chest. Sasuke knew that sometimes he had needed to cry and mourn alone, even when comfort was offered. Sasuke couldn't let Sasu mourn alone forever, but he knew some peace and alone time could also benefit him during certain situations.

Kakashi knelt suddenly, his movements making Sasuke twitch at their suddenness. Sasuke looked down at him curiously, watching as he slowly raised his arm and gently rested his hand on Sasu's reddened cheek.

"What Itachi did," Kakashi started off slowly, waiting until Sasu glanced up at him with wet eyes. "It doesn't really sound like something your brother would do."

Sasu sniffed in reply, a hesitant nod given in response to Kakashi's statement.

"Well then, I'll have to investigate things further, won't I? If Itachi really did this just to test his strength, then I promise you that I will do everything in my power to help you and Izumi-chan bring him to justice. And if there is something we're missing, I promise to help with that as well. You aren't alone, Sasuke. Izumi and I are here for you."

Sasuke swallowed back his own sob, the gentle kindness in Kakashi's eyes bringing a sad smile to his face. He had never had this kind of support system when he had gone through this exact situation. He had never had anyone to commiserate with over his now gone family. He would remember something Itachi had said or something his mother had laughed at and he had been alone in his memories. He had drowned in the ghosts of his past as he had languished in the pain of being alone. Sasu wouldn't have to deal with that; he had Sasuke and Kakashi. He would be able to talk and reminisce with Sasuke, while also being able to escape his family's ghosts with Kakashi.

"T-Thank you, Shimura-san," Sasu stuttered out, sniffing loudly. He looked up at Sasuke for a moment before he turned and made a hasty retreat to his bedroom.

"Well, you've certainly gained his loyalty," Sasuke told Kakashi after a moment, watching him closely as the older man sighed heavily, a sad look in his dark eyes.

"You never should have had to go through this alone," Kakashi told him gravely.

"Yeah, but he won't have to," Sasuke agreed with a shrug, sharing a small smile with his sensei.

"Now that that is over," Kakashi coughed, breaking the delicate melancholy of the moody atmosphere . "I should be going. Our guest and I will meet you at the Naka Shrine around midnight."

"I'll see you then," Sasuke confirmed, escorting Kakashi out of the quiet house. Sasuke closed the door behind Kakashi and let out a tired sigh, his back resting against the closed door. He gave himself a moment to just close his eyes and _exist_ before he forced himself to move. He had to finish boxing up his mother's clothes.

Sasuke spent the rest of the day boxing up clothing and periodically checking up on a silent Sasu. The young boy had mostly spent the day reading in his bed, children's books stacked up on his bedside table. Sasuke silently left a tactics book he had found in Itachi's room next to the stack, knowing that his older brother had written notes and thoughts in the margins of the book. It would be a good book for Sasu to learn from, as well as a piece of Itachi that he could keep with him.

Kakashi didn't return, but a group of genin on a D-rank mission arrived with several bags. Sasuke thanked them with a tired smile, chuckling with amusement when their eyes widened when he handed them each a small tip. He made sure to put the groceries away before stashing Sasu's new sandals with the rest of the shoes at the front door.

Sasuke paused, confused when he pulled out another clothing bag. Curious, he glanced inside and then hesitantly pulled out the dark fabric. To his surprise, a dark purple furisode greeted his vision, the sleeves shorter than a standard furisode usually had. He pulled the whole garment out, noting that it was also shorter than a standard furisode, only reaching down to his knees. Rubbing his fingers against the fabric, Sasuke felt the first stirrings of delight at the thick fabric. Traditionally, such a garment should be made out of something like silk. This fabric, though, had the familiar feeling of the shinobi issued fabric that most used for their active duty clothing. Kakashi, without informing Sasuke, had gotten new shinobi attire for him. The white nagajuban that he'd wear under the outer layer was slightly shorter, though it was made of the exact same fabric. The obi that went along with the outfit was a high-quality kunoichi staple, made to have the ability to hide weapons seamlessly within the inner lining. It was a lilac tinged gray and it complimented the furisode rather nicely. There were more standard black shorts and then ninja issued fishnets for both his arms and his legs within the bag. Standard issued black sandals were the last accessory of the outfit and Sasuke smiled as he made his way to the hall bathroom, eager to try on his new outfit.

While he had resigned himself to wearing Izumi's clothes, it had left him feeling uncomfortable. The fact remained that they were _Izumi's_ , not Sasuke's. The purple shirts and dark pants belonged to a dead girl and Sasuke would rather not wear them if he didn't have to. Kakashi had clearly picked up on that and had gone about fixing the problem. The shinobi outfit he had just given Sasuke would not only relieve Sasuke of having to deal with that sickly guilt, but it would also give Sasuke a more refined image. Such an outfit, while simple looking with only a single uchiwa fan on the back as decoration, was sophisticated in appearance and it gave Sasuke a more adult look than an otherwise preteen girl would carry.

Sasuke hummed as he finished pulling the outfit on, turning to look at the fan on his back. He had to admit, Izumi looked good in the clothes. Tilting his head, he fingered his shaggy hair, contemplating what he should do with it. Izumi used to have long brown hair, but they had chopped a lot of it off, the dried blood that had clung to it unwilling to wash out. It still reached the top of his neck in the back and the tip of his chin in the front. Unlike Sasuke's natural hair, Izumi had straight hair, her brown locks spilling down without a spike in sight.

"You should cut it shorter," Sasu's tiny voice piped up, causing Sasuke to jump.

"Sasu!" Sasuke yelped, his heart racing slightly as he cursed himself for being so distracted. "Please don't sneak up on me!"

"Sorry, Izumi-chan," Sasu muttered, slipping further into the bathroom, blatantly ignoring the door Sasuke had closed behind him. "You should cut it on the sides and in the back. I saw a kunoichi with a similar hairstyle once. I think it would look good on you."

"You think?" Sasuke hummed, once more looking at his appearance. He realized that while he was stuck in Izumi's body, he was slowly making it his own. Izumi had loved her long hair; Sasuke wasn't fond of hair that long. The bandages wrapped around his head to cover his Rinnegan ruined the illusion, but he supposes he could ask Kakashi to get an eye-patch made from the same fabric as his obi. "Thank you for the compliment, Sasu-kun. Now, let's go make ourselves some dinner." Sasuke turned and started to usher Sasu out, turning the light off behind him as he went. "Also, knock when you want to enter a room with a closed door!"

"Yes, Izumi-chan," Sasuke snickered slightly, a small grin on his face. Sasuke couldn't resist sticking his tongue out at the younger boy, laughing when Sasu responded in kind.

**VII. Sasuke**

Sasuke had Sasu bathed and in bed in record time, sitting silently at the boy's bedside until he fell asleep. Sasuke waited a minute or two longer before creeping his way out of the room. He left Sasu's door ajar, making sure the hall light was on as he entered the kitchen. He made quick work of the dirty dishes before glancing at the clock. He still had a few hours to go before he needed to make his way towards the shrine, so he forced himself back down the hall. He'd been putting it off long enough.

He entered Itachi's room with several boxes in hand, expression grim as he set the empty boxes down on Itachi's bed. Observing the room around him, Sasuke sighed before heading towards Itachi's closet. He pulled his brother's clothes off their hangers, not paying too much attention to them as he folded them and set the clothes within one of the larger boxes. He started collecting the already folded clothes from on top of the shelf above the hangers and then he paused for a moment as his hands met a softer material.

Much to Sasuke's shock, his hand pulled down a soft light blue blanket, the Uchiha clan's symbol stitched into the upper left most corner of the blanket. Sasuke ran his fingers lightly over the stitching, a soft smile making its way onto his face.

He remembered this blanket.

A few years before the massacre, Sasuke had started having nightmares. Sasuke couldn’t remember what they used to be about, only that he would wake up crying and calling out for Itachi. Itachi would make his way to Sasuke's room even before his mother could make her way out of bed to check on him. Itachi would crawl into his bed, pulling Sasuke close and running his fingers through his hair. Sasuke would drift off to sleep with Itachi's familiar scent in his nose.

And then Itachi had advanced in rank and he wasn't there every night like he used to be. Suddenly Sasuke no longer had his older brother to comfort him. His mother had tried her best to settle him at night, singing to him or reading from his favorite books, but nothing helped.

Itachi had returned from some classified mission with a soft blue blanket in his hands. He had smiled when he gave it to Sasuke, assuring him that whenever Itachi couldn't be there, the blanket would be. Sasuke hadn't gone through Itachi's room the last time, so he had never known what had happened to the blanket he had used for comfort. Itachi had always been quick to assure him that his blanket was okay to have and that no matter what anyone said, it wasn't something only babies had. Sasuke could remember the look on Fugaku's face whenever Sasuke would drag the blanket along with him; it didn't take a genius to figure out why Itachi felt the need to reassure him about his comfort item.

Inspired, Sasuke made his way towards his old room, sneaking past the slightly open door and carefully laying the blanket next to Sasu's curled up body. The boy didn't even move as Sasuke lifted one of his small arms to rest on the blanket. Sasuke made a hasty retreat once he was done, smiling along the way.

Glancing at the hall clock, Sasuke made his way through the house and to the front door, exiting and stealthily making his way to the Naka Shrine. The moon was half full and the light was shining down softly as he made his way down the street. He slipped within the shrine, once more lighting his way as he had just a few days ago.

"Sasuke," Kakashi greeted from the shadows, slipping forward to nod his head in greeting.

Before Sasuke can return the nod, a second figure comes forward. "Orochimaru?" Sasuke questioned, blinking in surprise. Then Sasuke looked into the snake Sannin's eyes and unconsciously relaxed, a fond smile given in recognition. "Sakura!"

"Hey, Sasuke-kun," Sakura replied. The soft smile Sakura sent his way made him feel slightly uncomfortable, not used to seeing such an expression on Orochimaru’s face. The smile was all Sakura, but Sasuke doubted he would ever get used to seeing such an expression. The pale mint eyes made the expression softer, but it was still vaguely unsettling.

"Our favorite kunoichi assaulted me in my office the other night," Kakashi cheerfully stated, chuckling at the glare Sakura sent his way.

"I didn't know _you_ were Danzō," Sakura grumbled, crossing her arms in a pout.

"Did you manage to get a hit in?" Sasuke asked, amused.

Sakura scowled in response while Kakashi let out another chuckle, replying, "I figured out who she was. I shouted her name while falling right out of my chair! She stopped her attack and helped me up. She's been staying at the manor for now."

"I found some correspondence between Danzō and Orochimaru while exploring Orochimaru's base. I managed to decipher it while making my way here; it was a confirmation that Orochimaru would be willing to make Danzō an arm with embedded Sharingan in it."

Sasuke hissed, his teeth clenching tightly as he snarled. It wasn't exactly a surprise that Orochimaru had something to do with Danzō's cursed arm. Sasuke _knew_ how amoral Orochimaru was, and yet he still felt a burn in his chest that felt far too much like betrayal. Orochimaru conducted his experiments long before Sasuke became his student. He had been obsessed with the Sharingan longer than Sasuke had been alive; and yet, the very idea of his old sensei experimenting with his clan's closely guarded dōjutsu made him want to vomit. Sasuke had come to care for Orochimaru over the years, even if that care was occasionally resentful.

"None of us are surprised that Orochimaru is a monster," Kakashi cut in, his lips pursed as he glanced at Sasuke with sympathy. "We need to think about making new plans. Any plan we had before coming back is completely out of the window."

"I can only assume that we still don't know where Naruto is?" Sasuke asked as he struggled to put his anger aside. It had a time and place and it wasn't now.

"I don't even know how to begin to figure out how to find him. I stumbled upon you two completely by accident," Sakura replied. 

"It was the same for us," Kakashi admitted, shrugging. "There's no way to figure out where Naruto ended up until we figure out how we ended up in our own foreign bodies."

"And we have more important things to worry about," Sakura nodded, acknowledging Kakashi's point. "Sasuke, you told Kakashi that you figured out what went wrong with our sealing array?"

Sasuke nodded, quickly explaining what he had found out during his last visit to the shrine. Both Sakura and Kakashi listened intently as Sasuke explained the mysterious words he had found.

" _When seeking absolution, one may change the past_ ," Sakura muttered, a furrow in her brow. "That can very easily mean that the Sharingan holds some type of time traveling ability."

"That's what I thought as well," Sasuke confirmed. "Kakashi hypothesized something similar when we first found ourselves in the past."

" _When one holds both eyes of the eternity, when one wishes with more than heart, the eternal eye will take the holder to the place of their deepest regret,_ " Kakashi continued the script, humming to himself as he shifted his stance slightly. "Mentioning both eyes probably references having both the Eternal Mangekyou Sharingan and the Rinnegan at the same time. The 'when one wishes with more than heart' and the 'place of their deepest regret' portions aren't as cut and dry as the rest of it."

"I'm not sure about the wishing aspect," Sasuke started slowly, "but I might have an idea about the regret part." Sasuke stopped, forcing himself to take a calming breath. He hadn’t ever admitted what he was about to tell his two teammates, always too ashamed to even think about it for too long. But, if it helped them figure out their situation, he supposed that he'd just have to suck it up. "When I was younger, I was severely jealous of Izumi because she had Itachi's attention in a way I never would. When I was at my worst, I wished she was dead. I threw a fit one day, crying because Itachi was going out with Izumi when he had promised to spend the day with me. I stormed out of the house and spent the rest of the day wishing she wasn't there to get in the way. The massacre happened three days later."

"Oh, Sasuke," Sakura sighed sadly, her gaze sad.

"You couldn't have known what was going to happen," Kakashi said, the pity on his stolen face an odd sight.

"I wished it and then it came true," Sasuke shrugged, the feeling of dark bitterness eating at him.

"When I was part of Root," Kakashi shared, his speech stilted as he stared over Sasuke's shoulder, "I was ordered to assassinate the Sandaime. Obviously, I didn't go through with it; but, for far longer than I have ever wanted to admit, I had intended to do it. I was already planning what I was going to do when I had some sense knocked into me. I've always regretted following Danzō's orders without questioning them. Good people would probably still be alive today if I had clawed my way out of my depressed funk sooner."

Before Sasuke could offer any type of sympathy, Sakura let out a shuddering breath, an anguished grimace on her face. "I don't know if mine is so much a regret as a dark secret, but as soon as I started training to become a medic-nin, I briefly understood why Orochimaru was the way he was. The human body is so fascinating, biology and chemistry mixing to make something truly unique. I thought about how I would've gone about Orochimaru's experiments; how I would've been smart enough not to get caught. I know hundreds of ways to take out other shinobi, all excruciating. I probably would've been even more effective than Kabuto if I had kept following that train of thought. It took a single nightmare to dissuade me of those thoughts."

"We're all a mess," Kakashi let out an unamused laugh, shaking his head.

"So," Sasuke huffed, a tired sigh leaving him. "I'm stuck in the body of the girl I wished dead, Kakashi is stuck with the man he unquestioningly followed, and you're stuck in the body of the man whose morals you almost succumbed to."

"Yeah, pretty much," Sakura nodded, looking just as exhausted as Sasuke felt.

"The question, of course, is where does that leave Naruto? What is his deepest regret?" Kakashi asked.

Sasuke thought about that, thinking back to Naruto's bright eyes and a friendly smile. He thought about the way he had held his smile until he thought no one was watching, how his eyes had dimmed when he had believed he was alone. He wondered about what haunted Naruto at night when he only had himself and Kurama for company. What regrets did he hold when it wasn't him that made his life miserable, but everyone else?

Neither he, nor Sakura, could give him an answer.

"Well, now that we've all successfully made ourselves feel awful, there's something I need to tell you two," Kakashi grumbled, an uncomfortable look spreading across his face. Sasuke watched him warily, his mind racing. They had talked several times since coming back, though most of it had been brief as not to raise suspicion. What had Kakashi kept to himself until they were sufficiently alone?

"What is it?" Sakura asked, her head tilted slightly in question.

"It's about Sai..."

* * *

**Interlude X: Kakashi**

"Sai," Kakashi started, urging the young boy to take a seat, "it's good to see you."

The young boy stared up at him, wide-eyed and suspicious. Saru shut the door as he left, his job of collecting and delivering Sai to him now finished with.

"How have you been?" Kakashi asked, clasping his hands together to rest them on the desk in front of him. "Have you been adjusting to your new lifestyle?"

Sai gave him a strange look, his head tilted to the side like a confused puppy. Kakashi acknowledged that Sai was still a child, that the transition Root was going through was probably confusing for him, but Kakashi also wasn’t stupid. Sai, even if it had only been a few years so far, had grown up with Danzō and his teachings. Sai was smarter than his age would have others think and he knew damn well that Sai understood what he asked.

"Yes," Sai answered slowly, his eyes tracking Kakashi's face. "My brother and I are doing well with the restrictions you've put in place."

Kakashi fought against the urge to twitch, annoyance flaring as he realized he had forgotten about Sai's _brother_. Not his biological one, true, but the older boy had nurtured Sai in an environment that discouraged such emotions. Kakashi took a second to fish through all the files he had read, both in the future and in the past, and he finally found the name he was looking for. "I'm glad Shin is helping you adjust to your new circumstances."

"He says that we're allowed to love now," Sai said, his dark eyes hopeful. "Is that true?"

Kakashi hated the fact that any child felt the need to ask if he was allowed to love. He was tired of being angry at Danzō's cruel actions. Yet it seemed every time Kakashi turned his back, he found something new to be pissed off about. "It's encouraged for you to express how you feel," Kakashi confirmed, giving the boy an encouraging nod. "To that effect, there is something that has come to my attention."

"Yes, Danzō-sama?" Sai asked, curiosity bleeding into his voice.

"I have recently learned your last name," Kakashi confessed. "You have two cousins who I'm sure would love to get to know you."

"I have more family?" Sai burst out, shock written on his young features.

"You belong to the Uchiha clan," Kakashi told him, his voice growing sorrowful without his say. "After the recent tragedy, you are one of three Uchiha left in Konoha."

Sai looked shocked, his young mind trying to wrap itself around the details Kakashi had chosen to share. First shock, then devastation. "My clan is gone?" Sai asked, his voice growing small and weak.

"No," Kakashi was quick to stress the word. "Your clan might be smaller than it used to be, but you still have a family. Uchiha Izumi and Uchiha Sasuke yet live on."

"Can I meet them?" Sai asked after a moment, uncertainty causing him to hesitate. "Do they want to meet me?"

"They would love to meet you," Kakashi reassured him, his eyes softening at Sai's unsure attitude. "I think you should go grab your brother and then I will take you two to meet your relatives."

"Thank you, Danzō-sama!" Sai exclaimed, hopping out of his seat and rushing towards the door. He flung the door open, excitement clear as he raced his way down the hall and out of view.

Kakashi let out a heavy breath, weary of the conversation to follow. None of them had ever met Shin, long gone by the time Sai became a part of their lives. Sai had shared stories, of course, telling them Shin acted much like Naruto. It would be a refreshing attitude compared to the glum looks they all had been carrying for the past several weeks.

"He's so different," Orochimaru's voice drifted in from the shadow, Sakura taking a few steps out of the hidden passageway that let out into Kakashi's office.

"He hasn't been forced to lose himself in apathy," Kakashi explained, turning fully to face his student. Kakashi raised a skeptical eyebrow at Sakura's outfit, a smile twitching on his lips at the image she made.

Though she'd only returned to them a few days ago, Sakura had been aggressively making her presence as different from Orochimaru’s as she could manage. Ignoring the creams and darker purples the man had seemingly preferred, Sakura had scrounged up as many bright colors as she could. Kakashi had seen her in some new yukata every day so far, always colorful and with a busy pattern. Today's outfit was a darker turquoise with golden yellow accents. She wore the shoes she had arrived her in, all of her clothing in a pristine brilliance.

"I think I need to head back to Orochimaru's base," Sakura responded with a non-sequitur, glowering as her own words. "There's more information there that we need. There are probably several correspondences that could help us understand the political climate we weren't aware of during this time."

"Also?" Kakashi added, knowing full well that while the reasoning Sakura gave was sound and true, it wasn't what she was truly after.

"Also I'll be able to dig through his notes to try and figure out how to get myself a new body," Sakura grumbled, sneering as she flicked Orochimaru's long black hair out of her face. "I can't stand to stay in his skin longer than I have to. If I can figure out how to get a new body, we can all at least get bodies that look _vaguely_ like we should."

Kakashi sighed, loving the sound of that particular argument, but he couldn't help but point out, "I can serve us better as Danzō. Becoming an unknown shinobi with uncertain loyalties isn't going to help us. Being Orochimaru won't help us politically, so feel free to find yourself something more comfortable to wear, but Danzō is a necessary evil. Once we actually manage to do something to prevent the war, I'll gladly accept whatever empty husk you feel like gifting me."

Sakura snorted loudly at his phrasing, a choked cackle escaping her throat. She opened her mouth to respond, but quickly shut it, her eyes narrowing as she tilted her head. "Sai and Shin are on their way," Sakura informed him. She spun around, briskly making her way back into the darkness and to the hidden entrance. She paused, looking over her shoulder, her glowing eyes peering at him from the shadows. "I'll speak to Sasuke and see what he thinks. Good luck with the family reunion." With that parting shot, Sakura disappeared, his office silent for only a second before a child and a young preteen shoved themselves into the spot in front of his desk.

"Let's go meet my family!" Sai begged loudly, wide eyes exhilarated.

Shin grinned down at Sai, obviously excited for his younger brother, but he sent a suspicious frown Kakashi's way, clearly not trusting his intentions. If Kakashi had been Danzō for real, he would completely understand Shin's hesitation to trust anything he said. Seeing as Kakashi was himself and his motives were altruistic, he simply gave an empty smile in return, standing from his seat and making his way out of his office, the two younger boys trailing after him.

Saru fell in line as they went, quiet as he took his place on Kakashi's left. In the grand scheme of things, Danzō's rather impressive home wasn’t that far off from the Uchiha compound. Sort of morbid to think about, but the truth nonetheless. Kakashi could sense Fū following along behind them, the man keeping his distance as he blended in with the crowd around them.

"What are they like?" Sai asked as he picked up his pace, his small legs having to work double-time to keep up with Kakashi's longer stride.

Kakashi made a conscious effort to slow down, letting both Sai and Shin catch up with him. Kakashi kept the more sedate pace, humming as they made their way down the road. "Uchiha Izumi is your cousin by blood. Her mother was your aunt. Her younger charge is Uchiha Sasuke. He was the youngest son of the now-deceased clan head; cousins in the sense that you are of the same clan."

"Danzō-sama," Sai spoke, his demeanor tentative as he looked down at the ground as they meandered down the road. "What were my parents' names?"

Kakashi scolded himself internally for not telling the young boy already, his mind distracted by the many thoughts that had been holding his attention lately. "Your father's name was Uchiha Hibiki and your mother's name was Saitō Yua."

"What did they do?" Shin questioned, curious about his younger brother's origins.

"I'm afraid that's not a question I know the answer to. I'm sure Izumi knows much more about your clan; she can probably tell you," Kakashi answered with a shrug. "Speak her name and she will appear; Uchiha-chan, how are you doing today?"

"Danzō-san," Sasuke greeted with a small bow, dark circles under his eyes. He was wearing a simple civilian outfit of a dark shirt and a pair of pants, the new kunoichi outfit Kakashi had purchased nowhere in sight. His clothes were rumpled and just slightly askew, his appearance only adding to the tired look he was currently sporting. "I apologize for my abysmal appearance; Sasu-kun was up most of the night."

"Nightmares?" Kakashi asked, though he already knew the answer. Kakashi was probably the best person on Team 7 to understand the strain Sasuke was going through. He knew Sakura had recurring nightmares, but it was different when the dreams were memories. From what Kakashi understood, the younger Sasuke was dreaming about the events that Itachi had wanted him to forget. The young boy would wake up crying and screaming, unable to remember the terror that had hunted him within his dream.

"It's only to be expected," Sasuke sighed, shaking his head. He glanced over at Sai and Shin, his spine straightening as he gave them both a gentle smile. "Hello! I'm Uchiha Izumi. It's a pleasure to meet you. What name do you go by?"

"What name?" Sai asked.

"I've been told you go by the name Sai? I wasn't sure if you prefer that or your birth name?"

"You know my birth name?" Sai asked, astonished.

Sasuke sent Kakashi a chastising look. Kakashi responded with an embarrassed shrug. He'd been distracted by Sakura's plans and his own thoughts. He wasn't trying to be deliberately difficult; not this time anyway.

"Your mother named you Seiichi," Sasuke told him, smiling softly at the small gasp he let out.

"Seiichi," Sai whispered, the name being sounded out on his tongue. A frown quickly formed on his face, his pinched expression getting a concerned look from Shin.

"What is it?" Shin questioned.

"I don't feel like a Seiichi," Sai confessed with a distressed pout. "I feel like a Sai!"

"So we'll call you Sai," Sasuke quickly told him, a wink sent in his direction. "I call Sasuke, Sasu-kun, so I'll call you Sai-kun."

Sai blinked up at him, a soft pink blush coming over his pale features. After a moment, a brilliant smile stole its way onto his face, the sight almost taking Kakashi's breath away. He had seen Sai smile before, both fake and genuine. His genuine smiles were always smaller and less noticeable, the former Root shinobi still trying to fight the conditioning he had grown up in. To see such a blatant show of emotion from him was a treasure that Kakashi wished Naruto and Sakura were here to see. It wasn't that Sasuke didn't care about Sai, it was just that Sai wasn't close to Sasuke like he was with the others. Sasuke had his Team Taka much like the rest of Team 7 had Sai.

"Okay, Izumi-chan!" Sai grinned, clearly pleased.

"You must be Shin-kun," Sasuke addressed Sai's brother, giving him a seemingly genuine smile. Kakashi marveled at the way Sasuke was acting, truly impressed with his skills in subterfuge. If Kakashi couldn't read the little minute details of Sasuke's body language, the way his shoulders weren't relaxed and the way his gaze was just slightly too sharp to be truly friendly, he would fall for the kind, young girl act. "It's wonderful to meet you! Welcome to the Uchiha clan!"

Shin seemed surprised, like he wasn't expecting the warm welcome Sasuke was giving him. "O-Oh! Yeah, uh, you too?" Shin's face flushed immediately after he spoke, his incoherent sentence causing him to grimace in embarrassment.

Sasuke let out a dainty laugh, the airy sound pleasing to the ear. "Don't worry, I'm nervous too. We have so little family nowadays, I wanted to make a good impression on you two."

"You did?" Shin asked, clearly skeptical.

"Of course! I've already kept you from seeing the compound by meeting you outside the gates; follow me," Sasuke explained, inviting them to follow him through the slightly ajar gates.

Sai and Shin made to follow him immediately, only pausing briefly to send an unsure look Kakashi's way.

"Patrol the perimeter with Fū," Kakashi ordered, heading towards the gate as Saru went to follow his orders. "Thank you for welcoming us into your home, Uchiha-chan."

"It's no problem," Sasuke reassured him, his false assurances falling easily from his tongue. "Though I'm not sure what to do about rooms. Sasu-kun's house is the largest in the compound and we're already taking up two of the three bedrooms. I suppose the two of you could share, though it seems unfair to make you share when Sasu-kun and I don't have to."

"You could always move in with me," Kakashi offered, liking the idea the more he thought about it. The younger Sasuke had needed time to mourn his clan, but Kakashi doubted staying in the place where your entire family was murdered was anything resembling a good idea. If he had Sasuke living under the same roof as him, they could interact and plan without anyone seeing them doing so. Besides, it wouldn't look too strange for such young kids to move in with their chosen guardian; others would be suspicious, but they couldn't stop him now that the paperwork had been filed.

"You would be willing to let us move in?" Sasuke asked, his mind clearly at work. His eyes narrowed briefly, a sign he was thinking about Kakashi's suggestion, before they returned to their normal state, realization in his gaze. "I'm sure it would do Sasu-kun and me some good to get away from the compound."

"Talk it over with Sasuke," Kakashi told him, pleased. "If he agrees, we can have you all settled in my home within a few days."

"Sai, Shin, feel free to head inside and explore a little. Sasu-kun should be in his bedroom if you want to introduce yourselves. I need to speak with Danzō-san for a moment," Sasuke said, ushering Sai and Shin into the door they had just stopped in front of. The two boys shared a nervous look before heading inside, the front door closing behind them.

"What is it?" Kakashi asked as soon as it was closed, worry lining his voice.

"I got a letter last night," Sasuke started, his lips pursing in anxious annoyance. His frown was awkward looking on Izumi’s soft features. "It was addressed to Izumi from her sensei, wondering how she was doing and assuring her that she could join their team training any time she feels comfortable."

"Oh shit," Kakashi muttered, his eyebrows raising. This was another problem to tackle, he quickly realized. This was also the most likely reason Sasuke had been acting so seamlessly not like himself. If others expected Izumi to be normal, Sasuke's usual attitude wouldn't cut it. The trauma could account for some of the personality changes, but from what Kakashi understood, Izumi was far more kind than Sasuke tended to be. "Who's your sensei?"

"Mimura Hamaki," Sasuke sounded out the name, a perturbed frown on his face. "Do you know him?"

"He's been a jōnin since before the third war," Kakashi informed him, searching his brain for any information on the man he could find. "He was one of four shinobi in his battalion to survive an assault by Iwagakure; he and his comrades were later saved by Minato."

"So we at least know he's competent," Sasuke grumbled, upset.

"He never stood out to me, but I know his favorite weapon is his old tantō. If nothing else, he should be a good sensei for any kenjutsu practice you want to get in." Mimura wasn't some type of Kenjutsu master, he wouldn't be able to teach Sasuke as efficiently as Orochimaru had, but his skills were formidable enough that once Sasuke became used to his new body and his skills started to show, no one would be too suspicious at his talent with a blade. 

"I'll need it," Sasuke admitted, rolling his shoulders. "I've been doing basic exercises whenever I can and I'm as comfortable in this body as I'm going to get. Chakra exercises are a bit slower to progress, but I am improving. I'll need several more months to get accustomed to how this body channels chakra, but I should be on par with myself at this age; I might even be better if I can successfully apply tricks I learned when I was an older teen."

"Danzō is old, but if I have to give him any credit, he kept in shape. I've been training in my downtime as well. I'm not willing to throw down with anyone any time soon, but I'm positive I can hold my own," Kakashi admitted, a sardonic smile on his face. "Do you know who Izumi's teammates are?"

"A Kamano Saisu and a Mozuku? Do those names ring any bells?"

"Kamano and a group of others tried to assist me against the Deva Path when Pein attacked the village. _Tried_ being the keyword. If Mozuku is who I'm thinking of, he was a part of the Torture and Interrogation Force." Kamano was a barely remembered face in a sea of Konoha shinobi and Mozuku was only memorable because he was extremely efficient at mental torture techniques. The Yamanaka had been so impressed with him when he was only a genin that they sponsored his rise in the ranks and recommended him for the Torture and Interrogation Force. Sasuke sure had found an interesting team to be forced on.

"Just what I need," Sasuke snorted, his eyes rolling. "A hot head and a sadist."

"Should be a familiar scene," Kakashi joked, shooting Sasuke a sarcastic grin when the younger man gave a sharp cackle.

"I'm telling Sakura you said that," Sasuke laughed, shaking his head.

"Danzō-sama," a soft voice interrupted them, Fū appearing suddenly. "I apologize for intruding on Uchiha clan grounds, but the Hokage has requested your presence."

Kakashi shared a sharp look with Sasuke, neither of them having any clue what the Hokage could want. Danzō had been ordered to not get into trouble. As far as Kakashi had seen, he'd been following that order. Root had been disbanded and Kakashi had shut down many of the shadier deals that Danzō had been juggling before Kakashi took over. What exactly could the Hokage wish to speak to him about?

"It's not a problem," Sasuke told the quiet Yamanaka, a solemn look on his face. "You should go see what the Sandaime wants. Feel free to return later; Sasu-kun and I have prepared shabu shabu for dinner tonight."

"Thank you for your invitation, Uchiha-chan," Kakashi nodded, adopting a much more formal tone. He turned, gesturing for Fū to follow along as they made their way off the Uchiha clan grounds.

"Did Hiruzen say what he wished to speak with me about?" Kakashi asked as Saru joined them at the gates.

"No, Danzō-sama," Saru answered his question, the masked man falling in line as they hurriedly made their way to the Hokage Tower.

"I want both of you to stay outside of the office," Kakashi stressed, their pace augmented by the chakra they were channeling into their leaps. "I'll flare my chakra if I have any need for you."

"Of course, Danzō-sama," Fū answered in tandem with Saru, both of them as unemotional as ever.

Kakashi made a note to check on their progress, worried about their still present unquestioning loyalty. It benefited Kakashi now, sure, but it didn't mean he was comfortable using it to his advantage. Kakashi was immediately waved through by Sarutobi's secretary, no words exchanged. Saru and Fū stayed back as he entered the Hokage's office, his gruff Danzō mask firmly in place as he took a seat across from the Sandaime.

"What do you need from me, Hiruzen?" Kakashi asked, adopting an affronted tone as he questioned the serious man in front of him.

"After your recent actions, I had hoped that I would no longer require your services," the Hokage admitted gravely, a dark look passing over his face. "However, I am not willing to put the safety of the village at risk. Do you know anything that can be associated with the words 'red dawn'? A secret sect somewhere? An organization perhaps?"

Immediately the red clouds that patterned that Akatsuki uniform came to mind, his heart skipping a beat at the image. "Red dawn?" Kakashi asked, forcibly keeping his clam.

"I recently received a missive from the Kazekage," Sarutobi shared, a troubled frown on his face. "The man wishes to meet with me to discuss the subject of a 'red dawn', whatever that means. He let slip that he is visiting several other villages to discuss the exact same topic. Do you have any idea what he's referring to?"

Kakashi made sure to put forth a thoughtful face, his mind in turmoil underneath the fake vision of calm. Itachi wouldn't have been inducted into the Akatsuki yet, so any information from him would be nonexistent. It could be that Sarutobi already had an idea of what 'red dawn' was referencing, but he simply wanted to either confirm his suspicions or learn what his old friend knew about the situation.

"From what I understand, they are a mercenary group," Kakashi shared, catching himself before he could say more. The group hadn't gone after any of the jinchūriki and their partners yet, so there was no reason for Kakashi to imply anything of the sort had happened. It would inevitably get back to the Hokage if he implied one thing and then it only happened afterward. Better to start vague and build up to the truth.

On the one hand, bringing attention to Obito and Madara's plans could only help them prevent the future they came from; that wasn’t necessarily a good thing, however. It could turn out far worse if the people and villages involved weren’t of a single mind. On the other hand, Kakashi had a sinking suspicion he knew where Naruto had been this entire time.

How the teen convinced the Kazekage about the threat the Akatsuki posed, he could only guess.

* * *

**Interlude XI: Sakura**

"What do you make of Kakashi's theory that Naruto is running around in Sunagakure?" Sakura asked as soon as they were alone, the kids running around their new home in search of a room they could claim as their own.

Sasuke hummed, his head tilted as he browsed the books lined along the shelves in Danzō's office. Kakashi had taken her and Sasuke aside last night, warning them of the contents of his conversation with the Hokage. It would be nice to finally know where Naruto had been, but Sakura felt like she agreed with Kakashi on one point: this changed far too much to guess the outcome. If Naruto had the ear of the Kazekage, there was no telling what they could get done. An entire village behind them would certainly help them. It was not necessarily that Konoha wouldn't be helpful, but Kakashi was the one with the best political station and he was currently on probation with the Hokage. He was watched a bit too closely to get anything worthwhile done in the village. Sakura had more freedom of movement, but Orochimaru was a wanted man and she wasn’t prepared to fight anyone as the snake Sannin. Sasuke, while the most acclimated to the time and his new body, held almost no standing in the village due to his status as a young genin kunoichi.

"If Rasa is willing to go on a tour of other villages to share whatever he's been told about the Akatsuki, I think it's a pretty good bet that Naruto is messing around with the situation somewhere," Sasuke shared his opinion, pulling a book off the shelf to glance at the title. He made a pinched face at whatever the title said and he put the book back on the shelf. "Naruto made a promise to Gaara before we left. He's probably fulfilling it as we speak."

Sakura raised an eyebrow at that tidbit, but when Sasuke didn’t offer any other information, she put it aside. Sakura suspected that it might have to do with who he ended up embodying; she'd keep her peace and ask Naruto when they found him again. From the way it went when the three of them shared their regrets, Sakura could only imagine that it would be as equally hard for Naruto to do so.

"Sasuke—," Sakura started to ask, stopping herself before she could voice her question. The topic of conversation she wanted to bring up was a sensitive one on her part, and she could only imagine it would be even more touchy for Sasuke.

"Spit it out, Sakura," Sasuke told her, though his tone of voice wasn't anywhere near as hostile as his words were. He turned to face her, giving up on inspecting the bookshelf.

Sakura watched him, tracking the way his brown hair laid longer than his darker black hair ever had. The way he was more willowy and streamlined than he was as an older teenager. The gentle curve of his body that was distinctly female. "How are you handling it?" Sakura finally asked, unable to not know. "How are you dealing with being stuck in a female body?"

Sasuke stared at her for a moment, a considerate look on his face, before he gave a simple shrug, leaning back against the bookshelf to peer over at her. "I don't really care."

"You don't care?" Sakura blurted out, disbelieving. How could he _not_ care? It was one thing for her to be stuck in the body of someone she viewed as an enemy; it was another thing entirely to be stuck in the body of someone with the wrong sex. Sakura had been born in a female body and her gender identity matched that ideal. She was a _she_ and occupying a body that was _very distinctly male_ was causing her more emotional distress than she thought it would.

"I suppose I follow Orochimaru's ideals a bit more than I had thought," Sasuke confessed. "I've thought about it a lot since we ended up in the wrong bodies. Orochimaru never cared what sex the body he was in had. He could've lived his life being called ‘she’ or ‘they’ and it wouldn't have affected him even a little. He honestly held no inclination to follow any gender norms whatsoever. I call him ‘he’ simply because that was what most others referred to him as."

Sakura absorbed the information Sasuke had just shared. "Does that mean you want me to use a different pronoun?" Sakura asked eventually, struggling slightly to understand Orochimaru and Sasuke's nonchalant attitude towards gender. She had met non-binary people, of course, but she had never experienced the dysphoria of identifying as a gender your body didn't agree with. Not until now, anyway.

"I'm used to being called ‘he’," Sasuke shrugged. "I'm not going to go up in arms if someone calls me ‘she’ or ‘they’, I don't mind them, but I prefer being addressed as I've always been."

"Got it," Sakura nodded, acknowledging his wishes. "I'm sticking with ‘she’."

"How are you handling it?" Sasuke asked in return, the look he sent her clearly showing he had already guessed at her true feelings.

"I'm going back to his base," Sakura informed him, scowling at the fact that it had become a necessity to her. "He surely has information on switching bodies hidden _somewhere_ . I need it to get out of his body. Hell, even if I have to make a new body for me to occupy, it would be better than languishing _here_."

"I know of a couple hiding spots where he stashes the more sensitive scrolls," Sasuke shared, giving her a small smile. "The faster we get you in a body you're comfortable in and able to navigate without trouble, the better off we'll be."

"Do you want me to make you a body too?" Sakura hesitated in asking, not wanting to offend him. They had just talked about his gender identity, after all, and she didn't want to make it seem like she was implying anything.

Sasuke shrugged, a thoughtful look flashing across his face. "I'm fine for now," he eventually replied, a distant look in his eyes. "I honestly don't mind being Izumi all that much."

Sakura watched him, taking in his wistful longing, and she held back her own fond smile. She imagined Sasuke _would_ be quite comfortable being Izumi.

"Izumi-chan!" Sai shouted as he entered Kakashi's office, a grin plastered on his face. Sasu and Shin were quick to follow, both of them out of breath as they tried to keep up with the energetic Sai. Shin had a large grin on his face, his rambunctious nature shining through. Sasu was much more subdued, but he did look far more content than Sasuke had been describing him as.

"Hello, Sai-kun," Sasuke greeted, instantly falling into his Izumi persona. "Have you three picked your rooms?"

"I picked the one across from yours, Izumi-chan," Sasu spoke up, his voice shy as he looked up at Sasuke.

"Sai and I found rooms that had a door connecting them!" Shin shared, excited. "This way we have our own rooms, but we can still share stuff if we want."

"Is that okay?" Sai asked, his lower lip pushed forward as he pouted up at Sasuke.

Sasuke laughed lightly, a bright sound that caused Shin's cheeks to color slightly. "That sounds wonderful," Sasuke assured the two.

"Who are you?" Sai asked, his tone curious as he looked up at Orochimaru, his attention pulled away from Sasuke.

"Hebi," Sakura responded, fighting not to grimace while being watched so closely by three pairs of young eyes. It wouldn't be smart to throw around Orochimaru's name where it could be reported back to the Hokage, but it wasn't like they could pretend she was anyone else to the Root agents always underfoot. Hebi was a compromise, even if it was rather obvious as to who they were referring to.

"Hebi-san is a friend of Danzō-san's," Sasuke informed them. "Now let's go try and find the kitchen in this place, shall we?"

Sai and Shin were quick to bounce out, both of them talking animatedly to Sasuke as they traversed down the hall. Sakura watched them go, only realizing after a moment that young Sasu was lagging behind, watching them walk away with a melancholic expression on his tiny face.

"Are you alright, Sasu-kun?" Sakura asked gently, Orochimaru's natural hiss gentled to the best of her ability.

Sasu glanced up at her, his bottom lip worried between his teeth as he held an eternal battle. He glanced back to the trio that disappeared around the corner before turning his attention back to Sakura. "Hebi-san," he addressed her, a frown on his face. "Izumi is taking really good care of us and I feel bad putting all of my problems on her shoulders."

Both of Sakura's eyebrows rose at that, a questioning tilt of her head encouraging Sasu to continue.

"I feel guilty," Sasu shared in a small voice, a wet sheen covering his eyes as he fought back tears. "I feel like I should still be in my bedroom, surrounded by my clan. I feel like I'm dishonoring my clan by moving off of the compound grounds so soon after—what happened."

"Your clan wouldn't want you to surround yourself with their ghosts," Sakura told him firmly, pleased to finally be able to share an opinion that she had kept to herself for so many years. The idea of Sasuke staying and living on the same land that his entire clan was struck down had always sounded awful to Sakura. She understood that he did it out of both respect and the wish to have a reminder for all that he'd lost, but she had seen the psychological consequences of Sasuke staying alone in a large, ghost filled compound. She wouldn't wish that on Sasu and she was glad that Sasuke had seen that it wasn't the right environment to raise a child in.

"You think so?" Sasu asked with a sniff, puffy eyes looking up at her with restrained hope.

"Sure," Sakura nodded.

"Are you two coming? Izumi-chan found the ingredients to make onigiri!" Shin's loud voice interrupted them, his head popping into the office they were still occupying.

"Yes, yes, we're coming," Sakura said, giving him a pointed look. "Inside voices," she told him as they made their way down the hall, Sasu sticking close to her side.

Shin gave her an incredulous look, sticking his tongue out before dodging the half-hearted swipe Sakura aimed in his direction. He let out a delighted laugh, the sound reminding her of Naruto so much it almost _hurt_. She spotted a small smile gracing Sasu's face and she mentally patted herself on the back.

* * *

**Interlude XII: Naruto**

"The council is now in session," Ebizō announced, taking his seat along with the rest of the council. Naruto recognized the old man as Chiyo's brother, though he didn’t know all that much about him. Naruto hadn't known Chiyo like Sakura had, let alone her brother, so he was an unknown component to him. Naruto _did_ know that Sasori had already defected years ago, so Chiyo herself was no longer part of Sunagakure's council. Naruto wondered if trying to get her on the council once more would benefit him in any way?

"Honorable Senior Ebizō," a man started, drawing their attention to himself. "Before we get into the true reason for this emergency meeting, I would like to bring attention to our two newest members. To my right is Tōjūrō and to my left is Yūra. They have both been nominated and accepted since our last official meeting."

"Welcome, Seniors," the council all sounded off together. Naruto twitched, marginally glad that no one was looking at him when they all spoke in unison. It wouldn't look good for the Kazekage to not welcome new members to the Sunagakure council. Naruto had to force himself not to shift uncomfortably when the attention of the entire council finally shifted to him, their gazes hawk-like as they focused intently on him.

"Kazekage-sama," Ebizō said, the older man watching him intently, "Yashamaru has informed us that you have placed a new seal upon the container?"

Naruto instantly felt anger well inside him, the burning agitation he had always felt towards those who unjustly accuse and judge. His eyes narrowed at Ebizō's specific word choice. "I have indeed placed a new seal on _my son_." Several members around him raised an eyebrow at his tone, most looking disbelieving. There were only about three men around him that didn’t have some type of negative reaction to his words. Naruto scowled at the rest in response to their expressions, unwavering in his new decision to put the council's ignorance to a halt. He wouldn’t let the discrimination Gaara faced continue while he was in charge; the kid didn’t deserve it.

"Chiyo-san reports that young Gaara has been sleeping peacefully, showing no sign of releasing the ichibi," a man informed him, his voice strong, yet far calmer than the others’. He had held a neutral expression at Naruto's pointed announcement, so Naruto supposed he was one of the few who weren’t going to be dicks about Gaara and his status as a jinchūriki.

"Ryūsa brings good news," a man to Naruto's left mocked. He was older than most of the other attendants, though he was still distinctly younger than the ancient Ebizō. "Yet one incident where the container doesn't kill a loyal shinobi does not mean it is under control." Naruto twitched at his words, openly glaring at the incredibly arrogant man. The man ignored his pointed look, scowling unpleasantly at the man he identified as Ryūsa.

"What your tongue, Jōseki!" a middle-aged man snapped, his dark eyes glaring over at the older looking Jōseki.

"You would defend that monster, Ikanago? Does your obsession with the Kazekage clan know no bounds?" Jōseki shot back, a vicious sneer on his face.

"My son is not a monster," Naruto snapped, glaring at the impudent man. "He is a jinchūriki. His ability to hold Shukaku is a gift and you should be thanking him for it."

There is silence for a moment before the man referred to as Ryūsa asked, "Shukaku?"

"The ichibi's name," Naruto informed him, his glare lessening briefly at the man's genuine question. "While applying the new seal, I had a brief conversation with the bijū."

" _That thing can talk?_ " Jōseki asked, disgust on his face.

"You continue to not watch your tongue," another man chimed in, adding a new voice to the ongoing argument. "Ikanago already gave you a warning."

"Ikanago is not the end all be all authority on this council, Sajō, and neither are you!" Jōseki snapped back, aggression clear as he glared at the younger man.

"You’re right, _I am_ ," Ebizō spoke up, swiftly causing the other council members to stop speaking, a hostile silence falling upon the whole group. "We must get back to the task at hand. I will reword my question: You have placed a new seal on Gaara, Kazekage-sama?"

"Yes," Naruto nodded, satisfied that the more obnoxious members had been successfully chastised and silenced. "I have been in contact with a seal master for a few weeks now. I had planned on bringing attention to the new seal at the next meeting, but when Gaara lost control again...I figured applying it now would be better than applying it later."

"Who gave you the seal?" young Yūra asked, finally speaking up for the first time since being introduced.

"I commissioned Jiraiya of Konohagakure for a working seal," Naruto lied, doing his best to keep a straight face at his sensei's name. Naruto had pointedly tried not to think about the man he looked up to, his godfather who is now pointedly _not dead_.

"You went to _Konohagakure_ for help?" Jōseki asked, incredulous. "After what they've done? They have yet to cease taking missions from the Wind Daimyo even after we've asked them to several times! They continue to ignore the treaty between us and you ask them for help!?"

"I commissioned the only seal master that could make a working seal," Naruto growled back, eyes hard as he glared over at the still arguing Jōseki. Naruto was quickly coming to realize that he really didn't like the argumentative man. "Chiyo, _who is our best seal master_ , made an insufficient seal that was not working. It was negatively impacting both my son and the bijū within him. I saw a problem and, unlike the rest of the council, _I fixed it_."

Jōseki huffed at his words, glare still present, but he thankfully chose not to speak up, his arms crossing over his chest in clear disapproval. Yūra and the still silent Tōjūrō both looked slightly sour, like they disagreed with what Naruto was telling them, but as the newest members of the council, they kept their opinions to themselves.

"Getting outside help aside, the seal works? The ichibi is now under Gaara's control?" Ryūsa asked after a long pause, breaking through the tension that was steadily building.

"He's a chakra construct," Naruto informed them, rolling his eyes slightly at their stupidity. "You can't control something like that. What we _can_ do is work towards a partnership."

"Partnership?" Ebizō inquired, asking the question before any of the others could.

"I believe it would be in our best interest to work with Shukaku, rather than control him," Naruto confirmed.

"What in the world for?" the final previously silent man asked, his tone exasperated.

"The working seal isn't the only thing I learned from Jiraiya," Naruto revealed to them, his mind at work. "I have recently been informed that there is a mercenary group known as the Akatsuki, whose mission it is to collect the bijū and use them to further their organization's agenda."

"Collect them?" Ebizō asked, the old man looking slightly alarmed. "What is their agenda?"

"We don't know," Naruto responded, shaking his head. Of course, Naruto was well aware of both the Akatsuki's agenda, and the hidden agenda that Zetsu and Obito were peddling. It would look suspicious, however, if Naruto just started rambling on about the Akatsuki's mission. Especially since, as of yet, no one had really heard of the mercenary group. "For that very reason, I have made a decision that I wish to share with the council."

"What decision have you made, Kazekage-sama?" Tōjūrō spoke up, hesitantly watching Naruto, clearly weary.

"We need to visit every shinobi village that holds a jinchūriki and warn them of the threat we are all facing. After that, I'm going to try and establish a new treaty with each of them."

Silence followed his announcement. Naruto kept his face impassive, unwilling to show how nervous he truly was. Naruto wasn't completely confident that his idea would actually work how he was hoping it would, especially since the raw power of the Akatsuki had not yet been experienced by the villages, but he had to at least try and warn his comrades. He couldn't let Kurama's siblings continue to be unknowingly hunted.

"You've gone mad," Jōseki accused, disbelief showing across his face. "We have no treaties planned. It takes months for even a draft of a treaty to be formed; and you want us to create multiple templates, deliver them to the other villages, and then negotiate terms? This will take decades!"

If Naruto went about seeking peace the usual way, it _would_ take decades. Decades of stuffy politicians sneering at each other over the negotiation table. Decades of uncertainty and suspicion. Naruto hated the very thought of it; he didn’t have the patience for decades of ground work. _What he needed_ , he thought, _was a foundation_. He didn’t need an entire tower built in a day, or even a week! He simply needed the material said tower was going to be built on. If he laid out a foundation for the villages, a possibility more than a solid idea, time could be spent on reaching everyone instead of a select few. 

"We don't need a complete agreement," Naruto replied, mind racing. "What we need is to meet with each individual Kage, tell them of the Akatsuki, and then offer a drafted alliance before we take our leave. Allow them to look over what we are offering. Let them make the decision whether or not they wish to be involved. It cuts down time. Any who do wish to continue negotiations can get in contact and a negotiator will be put in place to further us along. We can work on multiple treaties at one time that way."

"That's so much work," Ikanago whispered, his face paling slightly at the mountain of work Naruto had just laid at their feet.

Ikanago was right and several other council members were muttering in horrified agreement. The time it would take to set up so many drafts was ridiculous. That was the exact reason why they simply needed rough drafts and not full alliance agreements. A rough draft could be edited dozens, even hundreds of times. They could present the draft along with the danger the Akatsuki present and then they could go on their way, leaving behind a path for the other villages to follow. 

"Take our leave?" Ryūsa hesitantly asked, his face already wincing as he realized what Naruto was getting at.

"I will head out with a delegation to convene with each Kage," Naruto answered simply, shrugging at the incredulous looks he received.

"And your children?" Jōseki asked, scorn in his voice. "You seem to be concerned for them; what do you plan on doing with them while you're gone?"

"They'll come with me," Naruto responded, making the decision at that exact moment. It wouldn't be totally safe for them to be traveling with him out of the village, but Naruto couldn't trust anyone enough to leave them in their hands. Yashamaru might pass muster simply because of Gaara's affection for the man, but he didn't hold authority over the council. If Naruto left, Rasa's kids would fall under their jurisdiction. Naruto realized that he couldn't allow that to happen, especially now that he had finally been acquainted with some of the more—worrisome members. The three siblings needed each other. They weren’t close, not yet, but Naruto looked forward to seeing them band together as they did in the original future. 

"I will agree to this venture on one condition," Ebizō piped up, waiting patiently for Naruto to nod his head in acknowledgment. "Tell me why Sunagakure should take the responsibility of informant?"

"Because one of the shinobi connected with the Akatsuki is _Akasuna no Sasori."_

That succeeded in shutting everyone up. Ebizō looked rattled, his once calm demeanor shaken at the mention of his great-nephew. From what Sakura had mentioned off-hand, Chiyo had been the heartbroken one when Sasori had turned missing nin. Naruto had just been guessing, but it looked like his guess that Ebizō was not unaffected by the walking puppet man was correct. 

"We have a responsibility to capture him and bring him home," Naruto continued, satisfaction rolling through him as the council looked uncomfortable. No one would look straight at Ebizō, too hesitant to see what was showing on his ancient face. 

"Agreed," Ebizō eventually grunted, standing abruptly. The other members scrambled to stand with him, all of them looking in different states of weary. Naruto stood at a much more sedate pace, face blank as he met Ebizō's dark gaze. "We will do as our Kazekage bids," was the man's final announcement before he turned and left the room, not wasting any time as he stormed out.

Naruto, knowing when he was ahead, made a quick exit as well. He didn't feel up to discussing anything with the other council members, not when he was mostly flying by the seat of his pants. It was his tried and true strategy, but sometimes even he needed a break to get his head on straight.

Naruto let out a tired sigh once he reached Rasa's office, closing the door with a soft click. He collapsed on the chair behind the desk, leaning his head back to stare at the smooth sandstone ceiling. He had successfully taken a hammer to the past and changed things beyond repair. Gaara would be able to grow up relatively mentally healthy. The sand siblings would be able to grow closer so much sooner, forming a bond strong enough to face anything.

Naruto had also convinced the council to embark on a political campaign that would, _if it works_ , change the way the shinobi nations interacted for generations to come. Coming together to cut the Akatsuki off at the knees would be just what they needed to make sure Zetsu couldn't get his grubby hands on any of the jinchūriki.

 **Naruto** , Kurama's voice grumbled in his mind, the kyūbi's chakra shifting slightly as he struggled to stay awake. **I can feel the others**.

"The others?" Naruto muttered slightly confused.

 **Kakashi, Sakura, and Sasuke are all grouped together** , Kurama lowly growled, his voice starting to fade once more as he grew more tired. **To the east**.

Naruto's heart skipped a beat, excitement racing through his veins even as Kurama shifted into sleep once more. If they were to the east than that meant—

His family could very well be safely tucked away in Konoha.

Naruto let himself softly smile, his worrying finally coming to an end. He hadn’t seen them yet, probably wouldn’t get to see them for months yet, but he finally knew for sure that his team had followed him into the past. It was with relief that Naruto finally closed his eyes, muscles relaxing as he quietly sat in the quickly darkening office.

Naruto let his thoughts wander for a few moments before he inevitably landed on a topic that he had been avoiding lingering on.

Jiraiya.

It hadn't been that long ago that Naruto had learned of his godfather's death in the original past. Naruto remembered it fairly well, the numbness that had overcome him as soon as he understood what he was being told. He remembered seeing in technicolor one moment and then everything becoming swathed in gray the next. How closed off he had become while he had tried to comprehend what he was being told. How cold he had felt when he realized there were tears tracking down his flushed cheeks. His body knew something awful had happened long before his brain encompassed the full situation.

It was an afterthought to use Jiraiya as an alibi, always knowing in the back of his mind that the man would support him no matter what. It was different now, though, wasn't it? Jiraiya wouldn't just trust what he was told, especially from the man he would rightfully assume was the Kazekage. Naruto couldn't just go up to the man and hug him. He couldn't smile at him and expect affection back.

Jiraiya wouldn't support his claim of helping, though Naruto knew he might just play along if he saw the seal Naruto put on Gaara. The seal wasn't Naruto's specific seal, though there was a certain flare to it that would undoubtedly match the signature style that Jiraiya and all his students boasted. It would grab the Sannin's attention long enough that if Naruto wanted to, he could probably get Jiraiya to listen to whatever he wanted to say.

The problem was, Naruto didn’t really think it was a good idea to go anywhere near the Toad Sage.

Naruto missed him. Naruto missed his dumb perverted ways and his ridiculously loud laugh. Naruto missed his kind eyes and somber gaze. Naruto missed him so much it _hurt_. Naruto missed him, but Jiraiya didn’t miss Naruto. The man hadn't yet run into Naruto's younger self, was currently traveling around the nations, most likely trying to find word on the Akatsuki. He wouldn't have a predisposition to feel affection towards Rasa. It didn't matter that Rasa was currently Naruto.

For the first time since he met him, Naruto realized he couldn’t count Jiraiya as an ally and it shook him to his very core. Naruto had not had many figures he could rely on; Iruka and his steadfast mother-henning came to mind, as well as the Sandaime’s genuine, if a bit standoffish, affection. Naruto had never loved with someone before Jiraiya. Sure, they didn’t so much live together as they traveled together and happened to sleep in the same room, but it had felt like home in a way he had never before experienced. The thought that that feeling was being taken away, that he would no longer have that comfort to support him, it was a jarring thought. 


	6. Epilogue: VIII. Sasuke—Interlude: Undisclosed V

**VIII. Sasuke**

Sakura's eyes were still green. They were still two circles of jade peering out at him, though the rest had changed from the wide-eyed softness she had once held. Instead of soft almond-shaped eyes, Sakura now sported narrow eyes, her pupils slitted at all times, even when it was dark. Where once she was confident in her abilities and her body, she was now insecure as she moved around the manor in silent contemplation. She would leave for Orochimaru's base soon, intent on finding anything that would release her from the jail of said man's body. While her eyes stayed the same familiar color, there was a disquieting light hidden within their once bright depths.

While Sasuke could see the change in Sakura, he was left pining to see Naruto's familiar cornflower blue. Sasuke didn’t know where Naruto was, who he was currently hitching a ride with, only that Kakashi had suspicions that point to Sunagakure. Sasuke wondered what Naruto must look like; was he even tanner than he once was, out in the hot desert, under the bright sun? Were his eyes still bright and determined, or had they lost a bit of the sheen that made them so indescribable? What of Kurama and his influence? Would Naruto's flaming red eyes still exist without Kurama's chakra?

Kakashi was the sole person whose eyes stayed the same. They were still dark and deep, kind and unwavering. It softened Danzō's face, giving him a more approachable look that had once unemotional Root members coming to him when they had a problem adjusting. He greeted all of them by their real names, no code names in sight, and his admirers grew. He still smiled with his eyes, gentle with the kids and snarky with Sasuke and Sakura. It brought a warmth to Sasuke's chest to see something so familiar in a world that felt so different.

As for his own eyes? There was still bitterness entrenched in onyx eyes as he surveyed his place in the past. He was not healed, not even close, but there was some kind of resolution Sasuke had set and then met without realizing it. He was far calmer than he had been in years, his eyes reflecting the confidence he held concerning his mission and the facts he was so very sure of. He was not who he once was, but he no longer feels like he must hold onto the past to have an identity. He had never seen his eyes shine quite so bright.

* * *

**Interlude: Undisclosed IV**

"Danzō has complete control over the Uchiha survivors," the Sandaime said grimly, his gaze forlorn as he stared across at his frowning student. "There has also been increased patrols around the areas that Naruto frequents."

"You think he's planning on grabbing him?" Jiraiya asked, leaning forward in worry.

"I hate to admit it, but I don't know," Sarutobi sighed, leaning back and taking a quick drag from his faintly smoking pipe. "Given his past indiscretions, it wouldn't surprise me. And yet..."

"What is it?"

"He has seemingly changed. He has followed through on all of my demands, dismantling Root and getting all of its ex-members the help they need to integrate back into the regular shinobi ranks. The only suspicious thing he's done in months is have a few extra patrols set up around Naruto."

"I still wouldn't trust him," Jiraiya sneered, rolling his eyes.

Sarutobi hummed in response, clearly acknowledging Jiraiya's words before he switched topics. "Young Itachi has confirmed that one of the groups he's been keeping an eye on has black cloaks with red clouds on them. The information you gathered holds true."

"Are you going to order him to infiltrate them?" Jiraiya asked, curious. He was Konohagakure's spymaster, so if Itachi succeeded in his infiltration, it would be him who would communicate regularly with the boy.

"I'll have to," Sarutobi admitted, grunting as he shifted in his seat. "We don't know nearly enough about them to sit around. The Kazekage seems to hold some information, but he won't be in Konoha for weeks, maybe even months. He's visiting several other villages before he makes his way to us."

"I'll keep an ear open for anything worth investigating," Jiraiya assured him.

"There's another thing," Sarutobi hesitated, glancing over at Jiraiya once before he looked away with a tired sigh. He straightened in his seat, puffing at his pipe before he once more looked Jiraiya in the eyes. "Orochimaru has been spotted in Danzō's home."

"How the hell did he manage that?" Jiraiya asked, his body twitching as he tensed in his seat. "That place is a fortress!"

"I've had Kakashi watching the place day and night. He spotted Orochimaru interacting with the two Uchiha survivors and informed me immediately. He's since been spotted talking with two other children who have yet to be identified."

"And you haven't arrested him yet?" Jiraiya demanded, a frown making its way onto his face. There was a dark look lingering in his eyes, a soft grimace adding to the shadowed look.

Sarutobi sighed once more, reaching up to rub at his temples in an attempt to fight off a headache. "I'm not sure I want to."

"What?" Jiraiya asked, confused.

"If the threat that the Akatsuki poses is as serious as it's making itself out to be, we might need all the help we could get. Danzō was involved with Orochimaru's experiments, so we already know the two have some type of working relationship that could work in our favor."

"I thought Orochimaru did that on his own?" Jiraiya asked, shocked.

"No," Sarutobi grudgingly admitted. "Danzō had some type of hand in it. I'm not sure if he ordered the experiments or if he simply approved them, but he was definitely involved at some point."

"Sensei!" Jiraiya shouted, anger quickly making its way onto his face. "Then why the hell was he never punished while Orochimaru was chased out of the village?"

"I've made many mistakes involving my old friend," Sarutobi admitted bitterly, closing his eyes briefly before once more meeting Jiraiya's incensed gaze. "It's why I'm having Kakashi keep a close eye on him. While he's doing that, I'm afraid I have to ask something of you."

"What is it, sensei?" Jiraiya asked warily.

"I need you to retrieve Tsunade and bring her back to the village."

Jiraiya snorted loudly, shaking his head even before Sarutobi finished his request. "She doesn't want to return."

"Tell her the truth about what's been going on," Sarutobi ordered, surprising Jiraiya. "She'll be pissed enough at me that she'll return simply to yell at me and to make an attempt to kick my ass."

Jiraiya let out a derisive snort, but nodded in acknowledgment anyway, shaking his head lightly in disbelief. "Does this mean you're going to give Orochimaru a pardon?" Jiraiya asked, a distant hope slipping into his voice.

"It means we'll ignore his presence in the village as long as he doesn't take up his past hobbies; for now at least," Sarutobi sternly corrected. "Once this Akatsuki has been taken care of, I'm afraid the village is going to need a good de-rooting."

Pleased with all it had learned, Zetsu slipped away, its presence gone unnoticed by the Sandaime and the legendary Toad sage. It took its time to make its way back to Amegakure, slipping into the room where Obito's chaotic chakra signature laid in waiting.

"Hear anything interesting?" Obito asked with a grunt, his orange mask muffling his words as he perused a large scroll in front of him. His cloak hid most of his hunched figure, draping along both his body and the chair he was sitting on.

"We have a problem," Zetsu informed him, a sickly grin spreading across half its face when Obito sharply glanced up. Obito’s single visible eye narrowed in agitation, his Sharingan flashing briefly.

"What are you on about?" Obito demanded to know, giving his full attention to Zetsu and pushing the scroll in front of him to the side.

"Itachi messed up," Zetsu informed him, cackling slightly. "There was a second survivor of the massacre."

"Who?" Obito demanded, his anger rising.

"Uchiha Izumi," Zetsu replied.

"Izumi?" Obito asked, frowning. "While not ideal, she's no threat. Her surviving has to be based on a technicality; I saw Itachi stab her through the chest myself."

"Regardless, her and the other brat have been handed over into Danzō's gentle hands," Zetsu revealed.

"Why the hell would Sarutobi do that?" Obito asked, incredulous.

"He seemed to think they were under a threat," Zetsu shrugged, not particularly caring. It had the Uchihas it needed, after all. The others would be no threat to it or its plans for Kaguya's resurrection.

"What the hell is Danzō playing at?" Obito wondered, a heaving huff leaving his lips as he sat back in his chair. His chakra was spiking dangerously as he thought, each spike making Zetsu's lips twitch in amusement.

"The Kazekage is also on the move," Zetsu shared.

"We can't have that," Obito grumbled in annoyance. "The Mizukage is being particularly difficult at the moment. Having the Kazekage sniffing around won't do me any favors."

"Should we intercept him then?" Zetsu asked, curious about Obito's opinion on the matter.

"We have to," Obito decided, clasping his hands together in his lap as he lounged about in his chair. "Inform Itachi that he is officially inducted into the organization. I'd like to be able to control the information he's sending Konoha's way. We can partner him with Sasori for now. We'll send the two to intercept the Kazekage's party. Sasori would be delighted to get his hands on another powerful puppet," Obito decided, unclasping his hands to wave in Zetsu's direction.

"And if they fail?" Zetsu asked, not seriously thinking that they would, but curious enough about the answer to ask it anyway.

"If they fail," Obito hissed, finally turning his attention back to the scroll on his desk, "I'll just have to take care of it myself. Go. I'll take care of Nagato."

Smiling thinly in response, Zetsu left without any further comments, already on the lookout for Itachi's distinct signature. It paused briefly, a furrow forming on its brow when it let its senses drift toward Konoha for a single moment. Something odd was happening to the chakra signatures in that direction, a distorted echo that was growing stronger by the minute. Zetsu was briefly tempted to check it out, but it ultimately decided that it didn't have time to get to the bottom of that particular mystery at the moment. It had to find the little Uchiha spy and introduce him to the rest of their little pawns. Dismissing the strange phenomenon, it focused its attention on the sorrow filled signature located somewhere to the west. Without a sound, Zetsu melted into the ground, merrily on its way towards Itachi's current residence.

"Yes?" Itachi asked as soon as he sensed Zetsu, several seconds after it had appeared at the young Uchiha's side.

"Madara-sama has officially inducted you into the Akatsuki, Uchiha Itachi," Zetsu informed him, letting only its head merge up into sight. It gave a few points to Itachi when the teen didn't react to its head appearing just to the right of his foot. "You've been paired with one of our newer members."

Itachi grunted, his face drawn tight with exhaustion. Zetsu supposed that anybody else would feel bad for the teen, obviously still haunted by the actions he took against his clan. Zetsu, however, simply felt faint amusement. It didn’t care about Itachi, but seeing the Uchiha clan brought so low was certainly a welcome sight. The fact that the clan was brought to such an inevitable end by their own hand was certainly also appealing.

"Sasori will come to collect you tomorrow morning. You will then follow him to a meeting with Pein-sama. He will give you your first mission."

"Right," Itachi grunted again in response, his legs shaking as he struggled to stay standing in Zetsu's presence.

Zetsu stayed for a moment longer just to see the teen struggle before it eventually gave a sharp cackle, disappearing into the ground. It hid its presence long enough to see Itachi collapse, his tired body landing heavily on the ratty bed behind him, before it left for good, intent on checking out the disturbance it had felt just a few hours ago.

* * *

**Interlude: Undisclosed V**

_“So, is your little experiment working the way you wanted it to?”_

_“There’s no need to sound so disgruntled.”_

_“You have a_ child _running around in my body.”_

_“Kakashi is hardly a child.”_

_“Well, the Uzumaki brat is a child. Explain yourself.”_

_“I think it’s rather fascinating; the little girl currently occupying my body has a interesting mind.”_

_“She hates your guts and you think that’s interesting?”_

_“How could I not?”_

_“Ugh.”_

_“What is the purpose of keeping us conscious? Why have us here?”_

_“The Kazekage has a point. What purpose do we serve?”_

_“Only one of you is currently dead at this point.”_

_“Me. I’m the one that’s dead.”_

_“Yes, Uchiha Izumi, you are the one that’s dead. I can not simply erase you three from existence. You should, technically speaking, still be alive. And yet with your souls stricken from your bodies, you are considered dead.”_

_“How does that connect with you keeping us here?”_

_“You must experience what your bodies experience in order for a balance to be stricken.”_

_“And once we meet the period of time when we were originally dead?”_

_“...Hmph.”_

_“I see.”_

_“You don’t know what’s going to happen, do you?”_

_“For all you know, the second we pass when I die in the original timeline, my body will collapse and the Uzumaki’s soul will be ejected from my body!”_

_“It’s… a possibility.”_

_“So there is some real urgency to Haruno Sakura finding a way to transfer their souls into newly constructed bodies. Absolutely fascinating.”_

_“Indeed.”_

_“What will happen to us? Orochimaru never died in the original timeline. With our bodies vacant and our souls still intact, will we be able to once more take them back?”_

_“I do not know.”_

_“Do you know anything?”_

_“That is the brilliance of changing the past; nobody knows anything. Not even me.”_

_“Truly fascinating.”_

_“Will you_ shut up _?”_

**Author's Note:**

> in case anyone was startled by that abrupt ending, rest assured that there's more in store for team 7! there WILL be a sequel! i would like to thank several people who have helped me get this monstrosity to where it is.
> 
> 1\. there are multiple pairings in this fic that are mentioned/referenced. this is a GEN fic that comments upon relationships that might or might not have happened. No romantic or sexual content explicitly occur on screen. those relationships are: narusasusaku, naruhina, sakuino, itaizu, jiraoro
> 
> 2\. Sasuke has a brother complex. It's the truth and this fic definitely explores it. There IS an undertone during these scenes that suggests Sasuke doesn't only feel familial affection for his older brother. Nowhere in this story does incest occur. remember, this is a GEN work.
> 
> 3\. this fic explores, though maybe not entirely in detail, the ramifications of gender identity and pronoun use. it is discussed. there is a character in this fic that might identify as non-binary or genderqueer if they knew it was a thing. they choose to use the pronoun associated with their biological sex.


End file.
